Weatherman Prosecutor answers Ayres/Obama charge

[Bennyboy]

Editor and Publisher via Huff Post http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003873017

By Greg Mitchell

Published: October 10, 2008 9:00 AM ET

NEW YORK In a surprising a letter to the editor published in The New York Times today, the chief prosecutor of the Weather Underground in the 1970s expressed outrage over the linking of Barack Obama to Bill Ayers by the McCain campaign, adding, "Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen."

William C. Ibershof also corrects a charge in the Times: "I do take issue with the statement in your news article that the Weathermen indictment was dismissed because of 'prosecutorial misconduct.' It was dismissed because of illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions, initiated by John N. Mitchell, attorney general at that time, and W. Mark Felt, an F.B.I. assistant director."

Felt, of course (you may have already forgotten), was also known as a guy called "Deep Throat."

The full letter follows. For constant coverage of the media and the campaign go to our new blog at:
The E&P Pub

*
As the lead federal prosecutor of the Weathermen in the 1970s (I was then chief of the criminal division in the Eastern District of Michigan and took over the Weathermen prosecution in 1972), I am amazed and outraged that Senator Barack Obama is being linked to William Ayers’s terrorist activities 40 years ago when Mr. Obama was, as he has noted, just a child.

Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen.

Because Senator Obama recently served on a board of a charitable organization with Mr. Ayers cannot possibly link the senator to acts perpetrated by Mr. Ayers so many years ago.

I do take issue with the statement in your news article that the Weathermen indictment was dismissed because of “prosecutorial misconduct.” It was dismissed because of illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions, initiated by John N. Mitchell, attorney general at that time, and W. Mark Felt, an F.B.I. assistant director.

William C. Ibershof
Mill Valley, Calif., Oct. 8, 2008

[amdezurik]

1. yep, just like Nixon to have fucked it up

by being too intrusive and paranoid.

[blue sky at night]

2. well, well....doesn't it just figure....

the republican party....ASSHOLES then, ASSHOLES now, ASSHOLES FOREVER.

John Mitchell, just another look the other way guy, unless it was the Dems or some Protest Group.

All I can say right now to them is:


FUCK YOU!

[Poll_Blind]

3. Bing! Bing! Bing! And McCain's smear campaign has been neutered AGAIN!

Obama, Biden should ratchet the "Say it to our FACE!" rhetoric, hopefully McCain will bite or Obama may choose to mention it during the debate. I would love to see the look on McCain's face, although McCain usually wears a look of angry confusion most of the time, anyway.

Obama should also have this guy in his half-hour piece on CBS. What a way to douse the flames and drown the arsonist!

PB

[bertman]

5. Neutered on DU doesn't count, Poll_Blind. It's the corporate media and the McAnus-Palin

rallies that will continue to propagate the Ayers virus.

Let's see what kind of play this gets on ABC, CBS, NBC, Faux, etc. etc.

The other missing element here is the rebuttal of the insinuation that Obama did ANYTHING WRONG by serving on the board with a well-respected individual along with other well-respected individuals of both political persuasions. That whole line of thinking reeks.

[Poll_Blind]

4. BTW, people- can we get like 400 recs on this? Pretty please?!

PB

[sallyseven]

6. K & R Please Send to Keith or Rachael.

[Bennyboy]

8. How do you do that?

I tried to find a direct addy but all I can find is to general NBC news....

[dgibby]

7. So, let me get this straight

The reason Ayers had charges dropped was because of REPUBLICAN illegal misconduct.

By John McCain's standards, that would mean that HE, being a REPUBLICAN, is responsible for a DOMESTIC TERRORIST being allowed to walk freely among the fair citizens of Chicago!

Surely there must be some way the gov't can charge McCain for aiding and abetting the enemy. Where the hell is Homeland Security when you need them?!!!:evilgrin: :wtf: :rofl:

[Uncle Joe]

9. McCain is just doing his best to support

"All the President's Men", if the Constitution gets trashed, so be it.

I've come to believe McCain is a vindictive shit in the mold of Joseph McCarthy.