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Clinton, Pelosi, Greenspan, Powell, Bloomberg, Gates, Annan Also Say Interviews 'Fakes'
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ShareSeptember 13, 2007 11:37 AM
Former President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan have added their names to the list of people who say they were the subjects of fake interviews published in a French foreign affairs journal under the name of Alexis Debat, a former ABC News consultant.
"This guy is just sick," said Patrick Wajsman, the editor of the magazine, Politique Internationale, a prestigious publication that has been in business for 29 years. Wajsman said he was removing all articles with Debat's byline from the magazine's Web site.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said a supposed interview with Debat, published in the June 2007 edition of Politique Internationale, never occurred and was a fabrication.
The allegation was first reported by another French magazine, Rue 89.
Today, spokespeople for Clinton, Pelosi, Bloomberg, Gates, Greenspan, Powell and Annan told the Blotter on ABCNews.com that interviews of them under Debat's name in the magazine also never took place.
In fact, Stephane Dujarric, the deputy communications director for the U.N. secretary-general, said he called the fabricated interview to the attention of the editor of the magazine, Patrick Wajsman, in June 2005.
"I told him that if he went ahead with it, we would denounce the interview as a fake," the U.N. official said. "This was not some obscure guy. This was the sitting secretary-general of the U.N., and the magazine was told it was a fake," he said.
Despite that, Debat continued for the next two years to be cited as the author of interviews with a range of prominent U.S. public officials in Politique Internationale.
The U.N. official said a second supposed interview of Annan by Debat, posted earlier this year by Politique Internationale, was actually portions of a speech the secretary-general had given at Princeton University.
The magazine editor, Wajsman, told ABCNews.com he thought the problem with the Annan interview, one of the first he submitted, was "maybe a technical one" or a misunderstanding.
Wajsman said he had referred the matter to his lawyer for possible action against Debat.
"I was a victim of this man. I had no reason to suspect someone like him could lie," Wajsman said.
Asked why he continued to use Debat after the warning from the U.N., Wajsman said, "Everybody can be trusted once. He seemed to be well-connected in Washington, working for ABC and the Nixon center."
Debat was a consultant on terrorism for ABC News for five years until this June, when ABC News officials demanded his resignation after he failed to satisfy questions raised about his academic credentials.
ABC News says it is reviewing all stories in which Debat has played a role.
"We investigated and could not establish his academic credentials," said ABC News senior vice president Jeffrey Schneider. Schneider said ABC News began a review of all of his work as a consultant but that so far, "our initial review has found that the information he provided ABC News checked out and was backed up by other sources."
Debat, who resigned yesterday as a senior fellow on counterterrorism issues at the Nixon Center, a Washington think tank, told ABCNews.com his only mistake was to allow his name to be put on interviews done by others.
Debat admitted he did not conduct interviews with Clinton, Pelosi, Bloomberg, Gates, Greenspan, Powell or Annan.
"The magazine asked me to send questions. They got the answers, and then I edited and translated them and put my name on it," Debat said.
The magazine editor, Wajsman, said, "That is an outright lie."
Debat said he had "no memory" of being contacted by U.N. officials about the Annan interview.
Debat told ABCNews.com yesterday the interview of Sen. Obama was not a fake but conducted for him by a freelance journalist named Rob Sherman in Chicago.
Debat says he believes he was "scammed" by Sherman, who he says he paid $500 to conduct an interview with the senator.
Repeated calls to a number for Sherman provided by Debat have gone unanswered, and today a reporter for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago told ABC News the address for Sherman on a fax that Debat said he received from him does not exist.
This post has been updated.
September 13, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (36)
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How many more are working for ABC. Notice none of the fake stories were about Republicans makes you think doesn't it. The news media is no longer trusted for fair/balanced news and this story is proof why that is. Once the media got in bed with the White House and let Freedom of the Press leave this is what happens. There are many more reporters/Journalist who say one thing but work for the White House. It's a shame the public can't trust reporting as the mess the White House has put this country in. Thousands of soldiers are being killed based on White House lies and the CIA leak case proved how deep the media is in with Bush/Cheney. Katie of CBS admits she only spreads the lies/spin/blame as ordered by the White House that's why her ratings are so low. I wish we had our country back as it was invaded by the real Axis of Evil Bush/Cheney.
Posted by: Jackie | Sep 14, 2007 1:26:39 AM
LMAO, at those that are putting this on President Bush. Boy, he gets blamed for everything lol.
Posted by: Kiley | Sep 14, 2007 1:30:03 AM
Yep, the MSM pretty much has no credibility at this point.
Posted by: Bioretention | Sep 14, 2007 1:30:44 AM
Awsome, just show what idiots americans are....
Posted by: Joe Laspina | Sep 14, 2007 7:54:57 AM
After ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the rest cheerleaded this country into a war based on Bush's ego and thirst for historical significance it seems fitting that this story may bite them in the ass. Maybe if you did your job and provided news instead of stenography you wouldn't have this hanging over your head now. It still amazes me that I can go and Google a subject and find the answer in 5 seconds yet the major news operations can't seem to fact check ANYTHING, especially the lies that come from the Rebublican Party.
Posted by: Dominic P. Lucarelli | Sep 14, 2007 9:08:54 AM
Why would any news organization seriously consider using any source that works for the "Nixon Center"? Is that a joke?
Posted by: roma | Sep 14, 2007 11:21:19 AM
I think this quote is priceless:
"He seemed to be well-connected in Washington, working for ABC and the Nixon center."
Because Richard Nixon's honesty and integrity are unimpeachable....
Also, for those of you saying that it's crazy to point out that the director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center probably coordinated some of his bogus reports with people like AEI, WHIG, and the OVP, you might want to do a little more research. He had extensive ties to right wing neo-conservative groups who are known for deliberately fabricating stories in order to rally support for their agenda.
Doubt this means the Prez himself is involved, but it is overwhelmingly likely that Debat was coordinating his bogus claims with other conservative groups.
He's probably not just a lone wolf looking for attention, sorry guys.
Posted by: Chris | Sep 14, 2007 11:42:31 AM
Arno,
I can't see what you are talking about or refer to so I will not guess. I am all about truth and justice something your losers in the whitewash house failed you miserably on. They are now getting about what they deserve, but sorry they dragged you and your future and your kids in with them. There will be plenty of stories of propaganda paid for by the USA dropped in news outlets worldwide and blownback into the USA by MAINSCREAM 24/7 newsie outlets. Corruption and inside con games are great short term money grabs but they always wilt eventually and are you left holding the bag? Selling apple butter are you?
Posted by: daddy | Sep 14, 2007 12:11:27 PM
Come on.
Left-wing conspiracy?
Right-wing conspiracy?
A liar is a liar. A fake is a fake.
The real crime is that people get away with this stuff all the time -- on blogs, in newspapers (if the New York Times, major networks and the White House can be duped as easily as they have been in the recent past -- and with all their resources -- who can't?)
There's no trail here.
There's no there there.
It's just another sign of a population, an information system and media that's too busy, lazy or distracted to care or check their facts.
Posted by: JE | Sep 14, 2007 12:17:15 PM
SHOCKING!
Posted by: jim jones | Sep 14, 2007 12:27:48 PM
I'm glad that there's finally accountability happening now. While this guy's name is mud with me now, his story reminds me to be grateful for those reporters and investigative journalists who DO actually have integrity.
Thank you Bill Moyers, Barbara Ehrenreich, Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Sonali Kolhatkar, Lakshmi Chaudhry, Keely Savoie, Natalie Angiers, E.J. Graff, Laur aFlanders, Jill Nelson, and many more like you.
Posted by: Anna Clark | Sep 14, 2007 1:38:33 PM
The only time a company 'exec' can disgrace a company and it not be labelled a PR disaster is when the gaffe is committed by a media outlet representative; why's that the case?
Posted by: Gerry | Sep 16, 2007 2:45:45 AM
Such a super duper candid guy like Peter shouldn't have gone by short notice of couple of months or so ! ! !
I wish and hope "Peter Jennings" had newer been on coffee or smoke break with Alexis Debat ? ? ?
Posted by: Hector, Toronto | Sep 16, 2007 5:12:30 PM
This man claimed that he spoke Arabic. A friend of mine met him at dinner party in Washington and she tried to speak with him in Arabic; he was not able to respond back.
She did not believe him at all. She told me that there was something fishy about this man.
I am wondering how such man was able to maneuver in Washington in such way. He was able to manipulate the entire media circle. He claims that he went to the best school in France and was an advisor to a former French Defense Minster. Either this man work for the French intelligence or there is mush more to the story.
How in the world can American people trust the news? There are qualified Arab-American who know the Middle East better than any one in Washington and graduate of the best school in the US, yet they are not given the opportunities to help our nations. Maybe we all should learn French to be able to get such job.!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Yasin EL Maghrbi | Sep 19, 2007 1:32:12 AM
To answer to the comment of Mr Yasin El Maghrbi, it's not just a problem in the US ! It's the same thing everywhere. So you're probably right and should learn French to be able to get such job !!! Who knows !!!!!
Posted by: Stephanie Kharitian | Sep 23, 2007 3:17:24 PM
"Yep, the MSM pretty much has no credibility at this point."
I support.
Posted by: ticnet | Oct 5, 2008 5:53:34 AM
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