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SLAUGHTER'S GANNONGATE INVESTIGATION MOVES ON

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter made some headway last week in her battle to find out how a homosexual prostitute operating under an assumed name was able to get security clearance and attend White House press briefings on an almost daily basis for a period of two years.

James Dale Guckert, using the alias Jeff Gannon, was frequently called on by White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and President George Bush during the briefings. He worked for a Republican Party front organization called Talon News.

In addition to lying about his name, Guckert also lied about his military background and his education. He claimed to be an ex-Marine and a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University system, but records checks of those institutions have shown his claims to be false.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security wrote Slaughter to say they would begin compiling documentation on Guckert in order to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request she and Rep. John Conyers made six weeks earlier.

It's about time. Bush has not even dignified our congresswoman's query with a response, which tells you all you need to know about his feelings toward the state of New York. Still, Slaughter vowed to continue her investigation.

"While I remain deeply disappointed that the President and the White House continue to stonewall Congress and the American people by not providing any details on the nature of their relationship with this disgraced, discredited 'reporter,' I am pleased to see the Department of Homeland Security complying with our request for more information," Slaughter said. "Maybe now we will finally get to the bottom of this disgusting display of media manipulation."

Bush was booed by the crowd in Rome last week when he attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Here at home, he resorts to paying off syndicated columnists like Maggie Gallagher and Armstrong Williams, holding phony town-hall meetings that only his supporters are allowed to attend and relying on pretend reporters like Guckert to push his agenda.

The scary thing is that his propaganda machine seems to be working. Millions of delusional people believe that the war in Iraq and the dismantling of Social Security are good things. Louise Slaughter is out there fighting the good fight and all of us in Western New York should be proud of her.

Niagara Falls Reporter www.niagarafallsreporter.com April 12 2005