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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion July 16, 2004

     

White House Misleads On Bush's Military Records



On February 10, 2004, the White House released documents related to President Bush's military service record. At the time, White House] spokesman Scott McClellan said those documents included definitive proof that Bush was paid during the three-month time period when Bush's whereabouts were in question.1 McClellan said, "When you serve, you are paid for that service. And these documents outline the days on which he was paid. That means he served." McClellan glossed over the fact that the crucial pay records from the third quarter of 1972 were missing.

Now, responding to a Freedom of Information Act Request by the New York Times, the Administration says that the payroll records that could have finally settled the controversy were "inadvertently destroyed."2 According to the Pentagon, the records were ruined during 1996 or 1997 "during a project to salvage deteriorating microfilm." Conveniently, the Pentagon was unable to locate any paper backups.

Sources:
  1. Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, WhiteHouse.gov, 2/10/04.
  2. "Pentagon Says Bush Records of Service Were Destroyed," New York Times, 7/09/04.



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