FBI: “At no time was journalist Michael Hastings under investigation by the FBI”

[Cali_Democrat]

FBI: No investigation involving journalist Michael Hastings

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The FBI is denying reports that journalist and Vermonter Michael Hastings, who was killed in a single-vehicle car wreck Tuesday in Los Angeles, was the subject of a bureau inquiry.

"At no time was journalist Michael Hastings ever under investigation by the FBI," L.A. Field Office spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told the Burlington Free Press on Thursday.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/20/fbi-no-investigation-hastings/2444101/

[zappaman]

1. Cue the retorts of...

"The FBI lies and are in the pocket of the BFEE!"

Facts won't matter in this case.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. Some of you folks are simply beyond belief

Wikileaks simply reported what Hastings told them.

[Cali_Democrat]

8. You're right. I will edit my post.

[leftynyc]

39. Actually, no

Wikileaks is saying that's what Hastings told them. We never heard it from Hastings. You'll have to forgive me for wanting more info when an attention whore who has been out of the news lately says something like this and hasn't shown a shred of evidence.

[MADem]

76. Someone who is NOT the lawyer, too, said that Hastings contacted the lawyer.

Indeed, I would look askance, too...

[Enrique]

15. exploited his death by reporting what he TOLD THEM

makes tons of sense.

[Cali_Democrat]

16. Happy now? I forgot to remove that reply

Now you want to address the FBI's statement...or not....

[cali]

24. I'll address it. Who to trust more, Michael or the FBI? Gee, that's tough. NOT.

I'll take Hastings word over the FBI's.

[treestar]

29. This is hilarious

Now you found someone to trust?

Someone who was driving a Mercedes, by the way, a member of the 1%.

[cali]

32. Hilarious? why? beyond your picking that word out of the ether or for effect.

what the fuck does his driving a Mercedes have to do with... anything?. Btw, I grew up in New Canaan, CT. My mother never drove anything that wasn't a Mercedes

I followed Michael's writing closely.

Yeah, I'd trust him over the FBI.

Now tell me why you automatically trust the authorities on EVERYTHING. oh, and you most certainly do. the board here is littered with evidence of that.

[treestar]

34. LOL

The "FBI" always lies, of course. Let's just empty the federal prisons. Too bad "Michael" is dead, or he could tell us who should be there and who should not be.

Let's disband the legal system entirely and find someone you trust to just be dictator. That'll solve these problems. Who needs law enforcement? Just find someone "trustworthy."

[cali]

38. the "lol" last refuge of those caught with their, er, argument down.

so lame I almost feel sorry for you. and so obvious.

And no, clearly I did not say the FBI always lies. Sure they have a long documented history of lying in certain circumstances, but I never said anything of the kind. And what is that cute little red herring about emptying federal prison, dear? And where on earth did anyone mention anything..... oh never mind. too off the rails batshit to bother with.

I must say though, that your devotion to authority is impressive. I'm sure that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that this administration asked of you, that you wouldn't happily do.

[zeeland]

47. I wish we could rec individual posts. +1000. N/t

[leftynyc]

41. If the info had come from Hastings,

I would agree with you. It's coming from Julian Assange's lawyer who (as far I know) hasn't shown any evidence of that (an email perhaps). I'm neutral and waiting for more information.

[cali]

42. It's been confirmed by others.

he related that he was being investigated by the FBI to several people.

[leftynyc]

43. I'm going to look for that info

I hadn't heard there were others confirming.

[leftynyc]

44. Two pages of a google search

and all I came up with this:

"He was incredibly tense and very worried and was concerned that the government was looking in on his material," said Cenk Uyger, host of “The Young Turks," following news of his friend's death. “I don’t know what his state of mind was at 4:30 in the morning, but I do know what his state of mind was in general, and it was a nervous wreck.”

I'm sorry, that doesn't sound conclusive to me. I would think any reporter in this day and age is worried about the government but that doesn't mean they are being investigated. I think I've been burned too many times by not waiting these things out to be sure of anything.

[cali]

45. here's absolutely conclusive right here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023059513

clearly doesn't mean the FBI was investigating him but Hastings believed they were and I believe Hastings over the FBI. They have a history of lying about shit like this and they have a motive to lie.

[Cali_Democrat]

50. We can't hear from Hastings

because he's dead.

[cali]

54. We already know that he claimed the FBI was investigating him.

[Cali_Democrat]

56. Wikileaks claims that's what he told them

[graham4anything]

52. all of a sudden a supporter of the cult of personality you said you despise just yesterday

[cali]

53. more ridiculous crap from you. taking Hasting's word over the FBI's hardly makes me a

supporter of "the cult of personality". duh. I gave my reasons for doing so. The FBI has a nasty history of doing this shit and it ain't ancient history, genius.

gad. lame.

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. Well the FBI has such a spotless record who could ever doubt them

eom

[treestar]

25. Nailed it.

Of course the FBI is lying!

[Enrique]

5. can you spot the flaw in your logic?

just wondering.

[NaturalHigh]

6. Whether or not that is true...

and I personally believe that it probably is, you'll never convince the "truthers."

[RobertEarl]

14. Why should they follow him?

He only claimed to have many insiders feeding him info.

You think the FBI would not investigate his claims?

And what penalty would this FBI spokesperson have for lying?

Why would the FBI lie? Because it might hamper other investigations.

Ahhh, well, none of the facts would even convince the... what do you guys call people who believe everything a spokesperson tells you?

[Cali_Democrat]

19. So you don't believe the FBI when they say there was no investigation of Hastings?

[cali]

26. So you don't believe Michael when he said there was?

interesting how you side with the authorities on everything. absolutely everything.

[treestar]

30. maybe he thought so, but he was just paranoid?

why should we believe him? We shouldn't believe anyone else, right? Why is he more credible? Just because?

[cali]

33. he is more credible to me because of his history of accurate reporting

because of his reputation for being a relentless truth teller and because the administration has a history of targeting reporters.

duh. but you love, love, love authority as long as it's dressed as a democrat.

[treestar]

36. How do we know everything he ever said is accurate?

Too bad the new Saint is dead. How will we ever get on?

I do think we need law enforcement. Are you can anarchist? Authority is always wrong, so why should there be any?

I never heard of Michael before so why should I believe that everything he ever said is correct? Isn't putting total trust in him just as silly as putting total trust in the FBI, or maybe sillier, since the FBI's cases at least have some chance of going before the judicial system? Or do you think that's all just for show? Is everyone ever convicted in federal court therefore railroaded? Shouldn't let Timothy McVeigh go free. The FBI must have just framed him, right? Or we could have asked "Michael" what his fate should have been, since Michael never lies.

And of course he could not have driven a car too fast and killed himself. It must have been that awful FBI.

[cali]

40. you do need to learn to read for comprehension.

Never said everything was accurate.

And of course you haven't heard of him. I wouldn't expect you to.

And know I don't believe he was killed. I believe he was in a tragic accident.

now do take your little toy strawmen and your bowl of red herrings home. You just aren't very good at this.

[zeeland]

77. I suppose the AP is paranoid as well.

The AP is reporting on record seizures by the DoJ and the fallout that's followed.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3064504

I don't give a damn about Alex Jones. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

[treestar]

78. What?

Before coming over here to talk to you today, I thought I should get a sense of how the seizure of AP’s phone records by the DOJ is affecting our reporters. It’s been six weeks, after all, and of course we now know that our phone records aren’t the only ones being collected by the government.

What I heard from our journalists should alarm everyone in this room.

The actions of the DOJ against AP are already having an impact beyond the specifics of this case. Some longtime trusted sources have become nervous and anxious about talking with us -- even on stories unrelated to national security. In some cases, government employees we once checked in with regularly will no longer speak to us by phone. Others are reluctant to meet in person.

All hearsay and no one is identified. The speaker is trying to "alarm" his listeners. We don't know if it is true about the government employees, but they never had to talk with anyone anyway. And they didn't cause the breaking of the great "scandal," Eddie did.

[zeeland]

79. You're damn straight he's trying

to "alarm" his "listeners." He's trying to alarm the American people. We are already alarmed.

Who are you? You offer nothing but opinion and hearsay. If you have some factual,
documented information out with it. If not, you are offering nothing but noise to a
to a situation unpresidented in U.S. history. There isn't one branch of government
or agency deserving of complete autonomy. Checks and balances, or did you forget?

[HardTimes99]

28. Your question gets to the heart of darkness, as it were, that the Snowden Affair and

Hastings death have recently foregrounded yet again.

Whom can we trust? And why (or why not) should we trust them? Is it appropriate to contextualize discussions of the FBI's trustworthiness or lack thereof by reference to its less-than-stellar past?

I cannot answer these questions - the mere asking of them makes me a trifle uneasy. I want to believe I can trust my government, but I know too much history to confuse my desire with actuality.

[Cali_Democrat]

9. I updated my post. n/t

[quinnox]

11. thanks, I will self-delete in that case

[Cali_Democrat]

13. Check the OP again.

[JI7]

10. has Rolling Stone said anything about this ? or newsweek or buzzfeed ?

[Archae]

17. I call it the FIB...

Instead of FBI.

[Fire Walk With Me]

18. The very same FBI which creates "terrorist plots" by getting people drunk and offering them

bomb-making materials? Who spied on the Occupy movement from the very beginning and lied about it? Who had files on everyone and their mother?

[Cali_Democrat]

21. Yes, but if actually was under investigation...

I think we would have heard something about it.

[Fire Walk With Me]

22. The FBI and DHS spied on the Occupy Movement from day one and lied about having done so

until FOIA documents were obtained...I don't trust those bastards as far as I can throw them.

[cali]

27. bwahahahaahaha.

[Cali_Democrat]

48. leaks my friend

Leaks

[ohheckyeah]

20. Cops are allowed to lie by law....

They lie often especially about ongoing investigations.

I worked in Federal law enforcement - they lie, they lie a lot.

[zeeland]

23. Michael Hastings was personally

Last edited Fri Jun 21, 2013, 05:28 AM - Edit history (1)

responsible for ending the career and ruining the reputation of one of the most powerful men in the world. A year after Obama fired McChrystal, Hastings dies in a single car accident ending in
a violent explosion.

If there isn't an investigation by the LAPD or the FBI something is very wrong.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. I agree that the NYPD should get right on to investigating a Los Angeles car accident

There not being sufficient business for them to attend to in New York.

[okaawhatever]

31. They could have been investigating something he reported on or was involved in, but not

investigating him. We don't know what stories he was working on. Maybe he was working on something that involved criminal types or crooked gov't types, something like that.

[napoleon_in_rags]

35. Teachable moment: WAKE THE HELL UP FBI, US Govt.

I believe them. But they have to understand that this individual believed he was under their watch. Why? Because he met people that gave indication they had knowledge of his personal phone conversations, because he had cars following him, because all the rest. His conclusion? NEVER would a government let a private group of criminals/foreign spies grow so powerful as to have all these capabilities, so it must be the government itself which is doing all this to him.

You want to know WHY all these RW militants exist? You want to know WHY? You want to know why all these low income Tea Party people are so adamant for smaller government even when it seems against their interests? Look right here, FBI. This guy was tormented and killed, by people he thought was the US govt. Maybe it was through psychological harassment that pushed him over the edge into psychosis or intoxication, maybe through drugging, maybe through a chase or technological hack that drove his car off the road, but this guy died at the perfect moment... The moment when administration supporters are calling for punishment for Greenwald (journalist), at the moment when Manning is being prosecuted for his crimes with Assange, leaking video of US military killing journalists. And then this.

I'm posting this because I've seen similar stuff at a couple points in my own life. And I've always believed its just too fricking dumb to be the US govt. (I'm NOT the guy who published the report on anything, I'm the guy who looks after old people)

So its incumbent on you to WAKE UP and look at the real forces at work in this country before they completely bring you down. Another journalist killed why you deny conspiracy theories is going to push the US into the American Spring.

PEace!

[99th_Monkey]

46. What about the FBI investigating who fire-bombed his car?

because the LAPD had already decided there was "no foul play".

[Recursion]

49. It's pretty obvious which lamp post it was, no? (nt)

[99th_Monkey]

59. Please see

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3062530

[zeeland]

57. How is that possible

when they could not have performed an autopsey
or received the reports from the toxicology tests yet?
They have to analyze the crime scene, explain
the cause of the explosion. I have no doubt his family
and friends will hire an investigator to answer these questions.

Did you read this in the LA Times?

[99th_Monkey]

58. This is no longer a "rational" discussion

Just because Alex Jones is willing to talk about the murderous treasonous truth behind Hasting's demise, to dare to look directly into the inner workings of the "Dark Side" (as Cheney himself pronounced the existence of long ago), does not necessarily mean Jones is wrong about this particular issue or situation. Just because Alex Jones believes the world is round, I'm not going to reflexively start believing the world is flat.

[geek tragedy]

61. "murderous treasonous truth behind Hastings's demise"

You are right about exactly one thing-- this is no longer a rational discussion.

Alex Jones makes shit up. It's what he does--he's a fiction writer who reads his stuff out loud.

Sane people do not generally agree with his theories.

Alex Jones claimed that Obama had Hastings killed.

Anyone who believes that is a nutter.

[99th_Monkey]

69. This is not even about Obama anymore

it's about Cheney's "dark side" secret government that has been running things since Reagan, that is holding Obama hostage in the WH, perhaps unwittingly, but more likely under a plethora of veiled (and sometimes not so veiled) threats (O has a lovely family) and a magnitude of duress unimaginable to any sane person.

Like Kucinich recently said about DC: it's little more than a "Punch & Judy" puppet show to distract the public from the fact that our nation is being highjacked and ransacked by the Big Boys, with no end in sight.

[geek tragedy]

70. Alex Jones claimed that Obama had Hastings killed.

Moreover, there is zero factual support for your claim about a murderous, treasonous conspiracy to kill Hastings.

Just like you completely invented the 'fire bombing' of his car.

That stuff exists in only your imagination, not the real world.

[99th_Monkey]

71. Yes. There's "zero factual support" for the claim

nothing to see here, we are told by the authorities, who always tell the truth:
nothing to see here. End of story.

... except that I can't shake the idea of being him, driving his Mercedes that night,
on the verge of breaking yet another ground-breaking story he knew would embarrass
and possibly incriminating the "wrong people", what was going through his mind,
knowing that someone was following him, listening in on calls, etc. .. assuming
it's the FBI .. when suddenly the stearing unexplainably looses control, and the car
begins rapidly accelerating, regardless of what he does with brake or gas peddles,
until eventually the inevitable fiery crash happens ... smashing head-long into
something so hard that the car explodes, perhaps with a little help from the same
device planted in his car to disable brakes, accelerate, etc.

If you don't think such a device exists, or that real people don't exist who would
gladly use such a device on Hastings; then we may be living on different planets.

ON EDIT: I'm neither agreeing, nor disagreeing with what you claim to be Alex Jones'
take on the Hastings murder; because I have not even seen that myself, so I cannot
comment on that at this time either way.

[geek tragedy]

72. That would make very interesting reading in a fiction novel. nt

[99th_Monkey]

73. Oh, you mean like the "Terrorist"-meme-run-amuck was fiction in 1985

When the movie Brazil was released.
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/6977/Brazil/overview
http://thisruthlessworld.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/what-does-this-movie-mean-terry-gilliams-brazil-1985/

[geek tragedy]

74. Brazil was brilliant filmmaking nt

[zeeland]

67. Well I am.

If Barbara Bush thinks there should not be another Bush in the White House,
then I insist we have another.

[geek tragedy]

63. So, now his car was 'fire-bombed'

Is that the theory they're pushing on rense.com?

[graham4anything]

51. I believe the FBI over some no name minor league media who is looking to make Conspiracy theories

[cali]

60. Except he wasn't a no name minor league. not even close

you really are a good little......

you are so obedient to all authority as long as it comes from the democratic party.

you are a chilling example.

[MotherPetrie]

55. "We let the NSA take care of him."

[Rex]

62. The FBI would have served themselves better by just saying nothing.

Now they look like they are guilty of something.

[Cali_Democrat]

64. They said something because people kept asking them about this

If they said nothing, you know the conspiracy theorists would simply point to that as evidence of an FBI/NSA/CIA hit on Hastings.

They're silent about this!!!11

What are they hiding?!?!?!1?!

[Rex]

68. Yeah I guess they are dammed if the do and dammed if the don't.

But silence is golden. Let CTers guess and keep on guessing, wasn't that what they were doing before the statement?

[SidDithers]

65. But I read right here that he was basically killed by TPTB...nt

Sid

[geek tragedy]

66. An Alex Jones fan upthread is saying his car was firebombed. nt

[bunnies]

80. You handled that sub-thread a...

hell of lot better than I would have.

[Amaya]

75. Well if the FBI says so

This accident stinks to high heaven. He pissed off the Military Industrial Complex