Why doesn't Palast publish all the emails?

[Truth2Tell]

Am I missing something here?

The Salon article says "see the emails HERE", then links to the Brad Blog here:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4594

Other Brad Blog and Palast posts also point to this page, as if it actually had copies of the emails in question.

All I see are screen shots of some headers, and a small bit of text from three emails.

Am I missing the actual copies of all these 500+ emails somewhere? Or have they not been published?

This is not intended to be a shot at Palast - I love the guy - but why not just publish everything? Would it be illegal? And if yes, then wouldn't these screen shots open that same door?

edit: spelling

[in_cog_ni_to]

1. I think he wants to SURPRISE KKKRove and company. Why show your cards before you're ready to play

them? HOLD THEM CLOSE TO YOUR CHEST.

[Nickster]

2. Strange, I've been seeing this exact "concern" a lot lately.

[Truth2Tell]

5. Like where? nt

[Nickster]

7. Since you're repeating it verbatim, I'm betting that you know exactly where.

[Truth2Tell]

9. If I'm repeating what someone else has said on this

it's 100% coincidence. Maybe another great mind that thinks alike.

I'll repeat that this is not a criticism of Palast, or in any way meant to cast any doubt on his work. None whatsoever.

[Nickster]

10. LoL, right.

[Truth2Tell]

14. paranoid much?

[Nickster]

17. Nope, just got a fine tuned BS detector, especially when I start hearing the same

"concerns" worded the exact same way pop up like dandelions.

Do you often care to see all of the raw material that went into a journalist's story even before that journalist is done writing it?

I of course could be wrong and do apologize if that's the case, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not.

[Truth2Tell]

18. I only cared because I twice clicked links

that led me to believe I was about to see the emails. Raised hopes and all that.

I give Palast the benefit of the doubt based on his past record. I believe he has them.. I just wanna see them. I'm funny like that.

[Truth2Tell]

3. But it's show down time....

If he's got the goods, then publication would be about the biggest surprise he could spring, it seems to me. It would force everyone's hand - congress, the MSM, etc... blow the thing open.

The idea that he is sitting on something big and not printing it seems fishy to me. And out of character.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. He's working with Conyers BEFORE he makes these public. IMCPO, that is VERY WISE on his part.

Hopefully, he's also given 'copies' to Conyers for safe keeping. People tend to DIE when they have garbage on the BFEE. I think Palast is playing this just right.

[Nickster]

4. He's said that he's still working on the story and he won't release all of the emails because they

will give away his sources for a story(s) that he is still working on. Being a journalist, he doesn't reveal his sources.

[Truth2Tell]

8. fair enough..

(Although he has had a few years to work with these emails)

Where did you read/see him say that?

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. He blogged on DailyKos the other day and that's what he said. You can read it yourself

over at Kos.

[deucemagnet]

13. Here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/29/121118/463

<snip>

Since the original BBC article based on the "500 emails" reported this:

Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list".
It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

It may help to point out that following the report you cite, our research continued and many, many more emails were uncovered.

a. Are these 500 emails to which you presently refer the same as the 500 emails on GeorgeWBush.org?

No, not all of them were from GeorgeWBush.org

b. If so, where are the 50 caging lists to be found?

Actually, our team uncovered more than 50 caging lists from throughout Florida as well as from around the country. They can be found in my files and are not public at the moment for various reasons including, again, basic journalist standards requiring me to not only protect my sources but to never publicly disclose documents related to a pending investigation we are undertaking.

c. If not, can you document your source or explain why you cannot?

All I can say in this matter is that these documents were obtained from a combination of local election officials, campaign volunteers, lawyers and even local political candidates -- again, many of whom passed the information to us in confidence.

<snip>

[Duer 157099]

6. Although I'm curious to see them myself

and I've heard him say that they are published in his book (all of them? really? I doubt it, at least I hope not), I think it's a wise strategy to not give Rove et al. any help in devising a defense for when they are ultimately revealed (and perhaps Conyers already has his hands on them all -- which hopefully he won't publish either, just yet).

Much research needs to be done with the data before it's made widely available, imho.

[dweller]

19. Palast was on Randi Rhodes today

i don't know if it was a re-broadcast, but i don't think it was...
He made a comment about handing over info to Conyers last nite? i think.

i was listening and reading a book at the same time, lol.
dp

[radfringe]

34. timeline.....

palast was also on Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartman on their Wednesday shows, mentioned he was meeting with Conyers that day...

It was announced on Thursday that Tim Griffin (Ark-AG) would be resigning, then we learn the resignation followed Conyer's request for BBC Documents:

US Attorney Resigns Following Conyers’ Request for BBC Documents
by Greg Palast
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/14868/26/

Tim Griffin, formerly right hand man to Karl Rove, resigned Thursday as US Attorney for Arkansas hours after BBC Television ‘Newsnight’ reported that Congressman John Conyers requested the network’s evidence on Griffin’s involvement in ‘caging voters.’ Greg Palast, reporting for BBC Newsnight, obtained a series of confidential emails from the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign. In these emails, Griffin, then the GOP Deputy Communications Director, transmitted so-called ‘caging lists’ of voters to state party leaders.

--snip--

Conyers indicated to the BBC that he thought it unlikely that Griffin could carry out this massive ‘caging’ operation without the knowledge of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rove.

Griffin has not responded to requests by BBC to explain this 'caging' operation. However, in emails subpoenaed by Conyers' committee, Griffin complains to Monica Goodling, an assistant to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, about the BBC reporter's reproduction of caging lists in Palast's book, "Armed Madhouse."

In the email dated February 5 of this year, Griffin stated that the purpose of 'caging' was to identify "fraudulent" voters. This contradicts one explanation of the Bush campaign to BBC that the lists were of potential donors and not in any way created to challenge voters.

Griffin confidentially wrote: "The real story is this: There were thousands of reported illegal/fake voter registrations around the country, so some of the Republican State Parties mailed letters welcoming new voters to the newly registered voters. … The Republican State Parties ultimately wanted to show that thousands of fraudulent registrations had been completed."

Last Wednesday, Goodling testified under a grant of immunity before the House Judiciary Committee that Gonzales' Deputy Paul McNulty, "failed to disclose that he had some knowledge of allegations that Tim Griffin had been involved in vote 'caging' during his work on the President's 2004 campaign."

Goodling's testimony prompted Conyers' request to the BBC for the Griffin emails.

Last night Palast showed Conyers a Griffin email from August 2004 indicating that Griffin not only knew of 'caging,' but directed the operation.

[Swamp Rat]

15. You gotta know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

:D

[XOKCowboy]

16. I trust Greg Palast...

He's one of the top investigative reporters we have left in this corporate driven world. If he says he has them, I believe him.

I can't blame you for questioning ANY "news" reporter but Greg Palast has a great track record and is on the side of the truth.

[eleny]

20. Write to Palast and ask him

It's the best way to find out.

[Truth2Tell]

23. Done.

Sent a polite inquiry. I'll post here if a get a response....

[eleny]

26. Good

I've written to lots of people and gotten responses that were obviously done personally. It can take a while but I've been satisfied since people are busy.

Good luck!

[proud patriot]

21. would you ?

:hi:

[Truth2Tell]

24. Yes

I am a believer in maximum disclosure.

It would allow others to run with the info. It's how stories snowball.

I understand Palast is in the competitive journalism business, so he has other considerations... keeping his story to himself, etc..

But I WOULD publish them if I had them. No question about it.

[creeksneakers2]

22. I think the most likely reason

is that Palast is a fraud.

Its also possible he doesn't want anybody to get ahead of him on the story.

Another possibility - maybe there isn't anything illegal about checking voters at the polls based on returned mail.

[Truth2Tell]

25. His record proves he's not a fraud

as for others getting ahead of him... could be...

[seemslikeadream]

30. So all the guys risk publishing a fraud?

BuzzFlash

Bradblog

Harpers

Observer

[DireStrike]

27. The website, whitehouse.org or whatever, made a good bunch of them available

I saved them in 2004, this was actually BEFORE the election, along with some other files like "caging list.xls". I deleted them last year cuz I assumed the story wouldn't go anywhere.

[Snarkoleptic]

28. Maybe he's double checking the authenticity of the material.

This would be a good move to avoid getting "Dan Rathered" by false documents floated by KKKarl Rove.

[Stevepol]

29. BradBlog has a pic of Palast w/ Conyers going over the lists.

It's the top story on Bradblog. It just happened, last night I think. Here's the pic:



For the story just go to www.bradblog.com. It's the lead story or was when I visited a few minutes ago.

I think revealing the pix to Conyers is about the best option Palast has at the moment.

[blogslut]

32. Nice pic!

I am so glad Conyers has Palast's info. I see that he did have additional data from sources other than georgewbush.org. I would turn it over to Conyers too. My guess is this info will be made public via the Judiciary Committee website. Then hundreds of thousands of geeks will get a crack at the evidence.

Should be fun. :)

[Duer 157099]

31. Here is the original set from 2004:

http://2004.georgewbush.org/deadletteroffice/

Seems they are still all online. It's not 500, but it's a good chunk, plus many interesting attachments including the caging lists.

This was discussed in 2004 at various places.

[tiptoe]

33. Avoid risk of prejudicing potential fact witnesses: Hold the evidence for evaluation of testimonies?

nt