June 21, 2016

Interested Parties,

Stories out today from Politico and Buzzfeed on Crisis of Character, the latest book from the right wing attempting to smear Bill and Hillary Clinton, outline its total lack of credibility. The author, Gary Byrne, is a former Secret Service agent who worked at the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency. While he claims he was “the last barrier before anyone saw Bill Clinton,” in fact, he had little to no access to the Clintons.

Byrne could not have seen what he claims he saw. As a member of the Uniformed Division, he would not have had access to the President and First Lady as he claims in his book. In fact, those who are familiar with Secret Service presidential detail “laugh[ed]” at his claims of walking in on Bill Clinton. Further undermining his credibility, in prior sworn testimony, Byrne said he had no direct knowledge of the things he is pretending to know now. This book is recycled gossip and presents nothing new.

Below are eight things you should know about Crisis of Character.

David Brock
Founder, Correct The Record

EIGHT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CRISIS OF CHARACTER

“As far as I was concerned, Secret Service meant secret, dammit. We were not in the business of telling anyone what we saw while on the job.”

–Gary Byrne, “Crisis of Character”

1. Gary Byrne was Not Charged with Directly Protecting the President, Which Makes the Claims of What He Saw Highly Suspect

Gary Byrne proudly declared in the introduction to his book that he fulfilled his dream of being in the Secret Service’s Uniformed Division and that he was, “The last barrier before anyone saw Bill Clinton.” The problem with Byrne’s claim about his proximity to the President is that it does not match his job description. The Presidential Protective Division (PPD) is tasked with protecting the President and their immediate family, not the Uniformed Division (UD). UD officers stand at static posts to protect buildings, while the PPD travels with the principals and protects people.This makes Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” all the more suspect.

Gary Byrne Highlighted his Close Proximity to the Clintons While he was in the Secret Service…

Gary Byrne said he witnessed firsthand the Clintons’ personal lives. “I witnessed firsthand the Clintons’ personal and professional dysfunction: So consumed were they by scandal, so intent on destroying their real or imagined enemies, that governing became an afterthought.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. XI]

Gary Byrne said people “didn’t hear and see what we did around the Executive Mansion.”“Nobody knew everything that was going on at the Clinton White House. Not even President Clinton’s press guru, George Stephanopoulos. He wasn’t there at night, and some of the best (or worst) moments happened after hours. People like George didn’t hear and see what we did around the Executive Mansion, so my guess is they didn’t know how Hillary battled her husband in the West Wing.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 1]

But Gary Byrne was a Rank and File Member of the Uniformed Division…

Gary Byrne said he was a member of the Secret Service Uniformed Division. “I dreamed of becoming an elite White House Secret Service officer, a member of its Uniformed Division. Nothing more — and certainly nothing less. My dream came true. I stood guard, a pistol at my hip, outside the Oval Office, the last barrier before anyone saw Bill Clinton.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. IX]

Gary Byrne was posted at Secret Service Post E-6, which was outside the Oval Office. “One morning in late summer 1995, I entered the White House to assume my post just outside the Oval Office – officially Secret Service Post E-6. Things were stirring, and I wanted to know why. Everyone on post that night, Secret Service agents (SAs), Secret Service Uniformed Division officers like myself…” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. IX]

And the Uniformed Division Did not Protect the President Directly

The Secret Service’s Office of Protection Operations included the Presidential Protective Division and the Uniformed Division. “Office of Protection Operations (OPO): The Office of Protective Operations plans, directs, coordinates, and implements protective policies, programs, and operations of the Secret Service. The OPO ensures that all protected persons, places, and events receive the most appropriate level of protection, based upon a thorough assessment of associated threats and vulnerabilities, to reduce the risk of harm to the protectee and includes the following divisions: Presidential Protective Division (PPD) […] [and] Uniformed Division (UD).”

• Presidential Protective Division protected the President and members of the immediate family. “Presidential Protective Division (PPD): This division protects the President of the United States and members of his immediate family at all times; conducts protective security surveys and performs numerous special projects pertinent to Presidential and First Family protection.”

• Former supervisor of the Presidential Protective Division said the inner perimeter was “100 percent” controlled by the PPD. “‘The inner perimeter is 100 percent controlled by the presidential protective division,’ said a former supervisor of the presidential protective division, who asked not to be identified by name.”

• Uniformed Division protected the White House complex, foreign embassies, and consulates. “Uniformed Division (UD): This division is responsible for protecting the White House Complex and foreign embassies and consulates in and around the Washington, D.C. area.”

Secret Service veterans took issue with Gary Byrne inflating his role, who as a uniformed officer was “the lowest level of protection within the White House.” “The book has rankled current and former members of the Secret Service, who don’t like anyone airing business in public — but who also take issue with Byrne inflating his role. Byrne was a uniformed officer in Bill Clinton’s White House. But that’s the lowest level of protection within the White House and around their the president.”

Gary Byrne claims to have walked in on Bill Clinton in the Map Room with Eleanor Mondale. Gary Byrne would have been stopped by the Secret Service presidential detail if he had tried to get near the door. “People familiar with West Wing security laugh at the idea that Byrne or any uniformed officer ever would have walked in on Bill Clinton anywhere, whether in a meeting or, as a New York Post article over the weekend claims, in the middle of a make-out session in the Map Room with the late daughter of former Vice President Walter Mondale. The Secret Service presidential detail would have stopped him. (That affair was a well-worn rumor during the Clinton years, though strongly denied by Eleanor Mondale, who died of brain cancer in 2011.)”

Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service president said some of Gary Byrne’s statements do not coincide with the Secret Service operational plan. ‘“Operationally, one who has the working knowledge of how things are done there would realize that certain of those statements do not coincide with the operational plan,’ said Jan Gilhooly, AFAUSSS president and a 29-year Secret Service veteran.”

Secret Service veterans said before word of Gary Byrne’s book, they had never heard of him.“Gilhooly said he doesn’t remember ever meeting Byrne, or knowing who he was before word of the book started circulating. The former supervisor of the presidential protective division also said Byrne didn’t ring a bell.”

2. Secret Service Veterans Blasted Gary Byrne for Having “Underlying Motives”

Gary Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” is a hit piece short on facts that attempts to smear the Clintons. And you don’t even need to take our word for it. Secret Service veterans said Gary Byrne’s book had an “underlying motive” and said there was “no way” he saw the events the way he claimed he saw them. These concerning characterizations further prove that Gary Byrne is not a trustworthy source and his book should be discarded like the Clinton hit pieces that came before it.

Secret Service Veterans Denounced “Crisis of Character”

The nonpartisan Association of Former Agents of the United States Secret Service (AFAUSSS) issued a rare statement strongly denouncing “Crisis of Character.” “On Tuesday, AFAUSSS, which is strictly nonpartisan, is set to release a statement blasting Gary Byrne author of ‘Crisis in Character,’ saying members ‘strongly denounce’ the book, which they add has made security harder by eroding the trust between agents and the people they protect. […] AFAUSSS rarely issues public statements of any kind.”

AFAUSSS said Gary Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” had an “underlying motive.” “‘There is no place for any self-moralizing narratives, particularly those with an underlying motive,’ reads the statement from the group’s board of directors, which says Byrne has politics and profit on his mind.”

AFAUSSS questioned the “veracity and content” of “Crisis of Character.” “The group’s statement, which POLITICO obtained in advance of its release, very carefully calls Byrne a liar. ‘One must question the veracity and content of any book which implies that its author played such an integral part of so many [claimed] incidents. Any critique of management by one who has never managed personnel or programs resounds hollow. Additionally, why would an employee wait in excess of ten years after terminating his employment with the Service to make his allegations public?’ it reads.”

Secret Service Veterans said There was “No Way” Gary Byrne saw Events The Way he Claimed he Saw Them

Former supervisor of the Presidential Protective Division said there was “no way” Gary Byrne saw events the way he’s purporting to have seen it. “The former supervisor of the presidential protective division said that at best Byrne is working from office rumors that he’s cinematically written himself into. People spend decades on presidential details and don’t rack up the number of amazing scenes Byrne claims to have witnessed in just a few years as a uniformed officer. ‘Did Gary Byrne hear an anecdotal story being told by a couple of agents? Maybe. But did Gary Byrne see it the way he’s purporting to have seen it? No way. That’s a lifetime worth of events this individual saw in a very short amount of time,” the former supervisor said.”

Secret Service veterans said Gary Byrne did not have the intimate access needed to see what he claimed he saw. “The closest contact that Byrne could have had, according to Gilhooly and others, is seeing the president or the first lady pass in the hallway — far from the intimate access he would have needed to catch Bill Clinton in the act or see Hillary Clinton fly into the cursing rages he now writes have convinced him that she doesn’t have the ‘integrity and temperament’ to be president.”

If any uniformed officer, like Gary Byrne, had been posted near a room Bill Clinton entered, he would have been moved. “And if Byrne or any uniformed officer had been posted near a room the president entered, he would have been moved at least 15 yards away, to the outer edges of the security bubble — not quite what Byrne describes in his book: ‘I stood guard, pistol at my hip, outside the Oval Office, the last barrier before anyone saw Bill Clinton,’ according to the Post, which has been teasing excerpts of the book.”

3. Conservatives with No Credibility Created “Crisis of Character”

Gary Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” is like a who’s who of conservative backers. From the ghostwriter’s anti-Hillary bias, to help from a conservative historian who wanted to hear more about Benghazi, to Ted Cruz’s literary agent, this hit piece should be discarded and put in the fantasy section next to Ed Klein’s “novels.”

Ghostwriter Grant Schmidt shared video titled “Hillary Clinton: A Career Criminal” on Facebook.

In “Crisis of Character” Acknowledgements, Gary Byrne thanked conservative historian David Pietrusza who criticized moderators of a Democratic presidential debate for failing to bring up Benghazi.  “This book would not be possible without others whose memory and example of heroism and sacrifice to country continues to inspire. A special thank you to Grand Schmidt of Film Films LLC, David Pietrusza, and the unnamed couple without whom this project would not have been possible.” “Historian David Pietrusza, author of the much-acclaimed book ‘1932’ on the presidential election that year, agreed. ‘Following the Sanders-Clinton data breech exchange,’ he told me, ‘O’Malley stole Chris Christie’s patented act of decrying ‘political exchanges’ that ‘no one cares about.’ […] ‘But while ABC’s moderators performed quite well concerning the topics under discussion, any number of issues were simply ignored: how to balance the budget, how to grow jobs, Benghazi, or the Clinton servers and Clinton Foundation controversies.”

Gary Byrne’s literary agent Javelin Group published books by Ted Cruz and Lou Dobbs. “Latimer and Urbahn had made their bones, and Washington was taking note. A string of high-profile projects followed—a big book by Fox’s Lou Dobbs, another by Washington private investigator Terry Lenzner. In April, Javelin took a memoir by Texas senator Ted Cruz to auction in New York, reportedly winning an advance of about $1.5 million. (Urbahn says it was ‘not [Javelin’s] place’ to discuss specific advance amounts.)”

Gary Byrne’s publisher Center Street has published books from Jim DeMint, Dana Loesch, and Bret Baier. According to Centerstreet.com, Center Street’s authors include James Rosebush, author of “True Reagan,” Bret Baier, author of “Special Heart,” Dana Loesch, author of “Hands Off My Gun,” Michael Savage, author of “Stop the Coming Civil War,” and Jim DeMint, author of “Now or Never. “

4. Gary Byrne’s Suspect Credibility Called Into Question as he Contradicts Sworn Testimony That Also Included Gossip and Rumors

Gary Byrne is hardly a credibly character. His testimony from the 1990s is full of gossip, rumors, and inconsistencies. “Crisis of Character” even contradicts some of his sworn testimony. The book reads more like a gossip column and should be taken as seriously as the latest edition of the National Enquirer.

Gary Byrne’s Testimony Included Innuendos and “Little Tidbit Rumors”

Gary Byrne admitted his testimony to Ken Starr’s independent investigation involved, “innuendoes and accusations, little tidbit rumors.”  “The testimony of Secret Service officers primarily involved gossip and rumor. Starr called 31 different officers and agents to the grand jury. […] The testimony seemed to focus on what officers had heard about or talked about. This rumor mill in the White House seemed to be a focus of the investigation. Questioning Secret Service officer about details of Clinton and Lewinsky’s relationship, the officer felt compelled to remind the prosecutors that he was merely relaying gossip he had heard. ‘It was based on other, other innuendoes and accusations, little tidbit rumors, that kind of stuff.’  said the officer, Gary Byrne.” [Associated Press, 10/3/98]

Gary Byrne testified that he may have incorporated gossip into his testimony because it had been almost 3 years since the incident.  “Q: Is it possible that some of this gossip has been incorporated by you into the original story that you heard from John Muskett? A I would say it’s possible, but, like I said, I don’t really recall it that way. I guess it is possible. Sure. You’re talking, like you said, two and a half, almost three years. But to the best of my recollection, that’s the way I remember it.”

Gary Byrne’s accounts “varied in different tellings.” “Officer Gary Byrne also testified about having seen Ms. Lewinsky in the Oval Office with the President, though some details of his account varied in different tellings.”

Gary Byrne’s testimony disputed by fellow Secret Service agent. “Byrne testified that agent John Muskett told him of discovering Clinton and Lewinsky in a compromising moment. Muskett denies it.”

Gary Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” Contradicted His Sworn Testimony

Gary Byrne claimed he told steward Bayani Nelvis that he would throw out the lipstick-stained towels himself. “I calmed Nel, reassuring him that I’d take care of this myself. Wouldn’t have to worry about it. He brought me the rest of the linens.  From a nearby trash can, under the liner, I knew there was a roll of more trash can liners. I grabbed a new one as I scanned the hallway, already preparing an excuse should another officer ask what I was doing. I placed the offending linens in the trash bag and hid them in a furniture drawer near my post. I didn’t let that drawer out of my sight until my very long day was done. Getting the trash bag to my gym bag to my car involved some risky moments, but I made it. In D.C. traffic I worried, Have I just illegally destroyed evidence?” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 115]

• Gary Byrne testified that he did not recall any conversation with White House steward Bayani Nelvis that “stands out.” “Q: What else do you remember about your discussions Mr. Nelvis about Ms. Lewinsky? A: I don’t remember anything that stands out, sir. I mean I don’t remember anything that really stands out. It’s not like we really discussed her a lot that I can recall. Nothing really that comes to mind, anything that’s significant, I mean, can even think of. Just give me a minute to get my thoughts together here.”

• Gary Byrne testified that he drew his own conclusions about the towels. “But in a deposition on June 25, 1998, Byrne described an encounter with the steward where little was discussed explicitly and he was left to draw his own conclusions. As he told it in the testimony, Byrne was not involved in disposing of the towels.”

• Gary Byrne testified that he could not see stains on the towels. “Q: And he had, you said, towels in his hand? Were they tissues or towels, or you—A: No. Terry-cloth. Q: Was there more than one? A: It’s hard for me to remember. I know there was one. Q: Are they white? A: Yes. A: Could you tell whether there was any stains on them? A: No, I couldn’t. I don’t recall.”

Gary Byrne claimed he saw Bill Clinton and Eleanor Mondale in a compromising position in the Map Room. “There before us was E! Network host Eleanor Mondale – former vice president Walter Mondale’s daughter—and President Clinton in a compromising position, that is, making out on the Map Room table.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 112]

• Gary Byrne told investigators that the event was a rumor. “Another story Byrne tells in the book also contradicts what he told Starr’s team. Whereas he says in the book that he witnessed Bill Clinton kissing the E! Network host Eleanor Mondale with his own eyes, he told investigators that he had merely heard the event rumored.”

Gary Byrne claimed he heard an officer or staffer walked in on Eleanor Mondale and Bill Clinton in a movie theater. “I corroborated what I (among many others) had heard of how an officer or a staff person had walked in on Eleanor and the president in the White House movie theater.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 161]

• Gary Byrne said his testimony about Eleanor Mondale in the movie theater with Bill Clinton was based on “other innuendos and accusations, little tidbit rumors, that kind of stuff.” “Q: Was it based on anything, or just a guess? A: It was based on other, other innuendos and accusations and, you know, little tidbit rumors, that kind of stuff.”

• Gary Byrne’s testimony said he heard the rumor in a group of Secret Service officers late at night. “By contrast, the notes from the May 1998 interview read, ‘Byrne advised that he had heard a rumor that the president had been seen by a staff employee in the West Wing movie theater, with a woman other than the first lady in a compromising position. Byrne believed that the woman mentioned was Eleanor Mondale. Byrne heard this rumor in a group of USSS officers late at night.”’

5. Recycles Old, Already Reported Material

“Crisis of Character” recycles old, already reported material and treats it like breaking news. These previously reported tales should be regarded as yawn-worthy old news that tells us nothing new.

GARY BYRNE’S “CRISIS OF CHARACTER”	RECYCLED OLD MATERIAL
Gary Byrne: Hillary Clinton threw a vase at Bill Clinton. “The Clintons were our top protectees. Thank God the president didn’t fall or hit his head on a mantel or countertop in the course of a yelling match or when she had thrown a vase at him.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 110]	R. Emmett Tyrell: Sources close to Secret Service said the Clintons had altercations that involved “breakage of vases.” “As editor and author R. Emmett Tyrell has reported, the verbal and physical abuse has not relented since the Clintons left the White House: ‘Sources close to the Secret Service . . . report that dreadful altercations have erupted several times,’ and usually involve ‘yelling, screaming, throwing of soft and hard objects, breakage of vases and glasses and just plain nastiness.’”
Gary Byrne claimed Hillary Clinton threw a Bible at the back of the head of a Secret Service agent. “The First Lady had a different sort of liveliness. She once threw a Bible at an agent on her detail, hitting him in the back of the head. He bluntly let her know it wasn’t acceptable. He told me that story himself. Assignment to her detail was a form of punishment handed down by passive-aggressive middle management.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 74-5]	1993: Washington Times suggested Hillary Clinton threw a Bible at Bill Clinton. “Gossip does not remain fixed; someone is always changing the details. By March 1993, the first print mutation appeared in the Washington Times, transforming the lamp into a book, possibly even a Bible (a pointed touch, given the widespread rumors about Bill Clinton’s sexual infidelities), and noting that ‘Tale-tellers say blood was drawn.’”   Newsweek said Hillary Clinton threw “a lamp, a briefing book, or a Bible” at Bill Clinton.“Newsweek soon after ran an account that described the First Lady as throwing ‘a lamp, a briefing book or a Bible’ at the President, adding the further detail that Hillary then lit up a cigarette to punish her smoke-allergic husband.”
The Clintons called Dick Morris “Charlie” to hide his visits. “We didn’t quite comprehend that Hillary was undermining Panetta, and we certainly couldn’t insert ourselves into these mysterious visits to sort out their true meaning. Morris (the Clintons called him Charlie to hide his visits), Bill, and Hillary met frequently, mostly in the Executive Residence, though once Bill and Morris met alone in the Oval Office.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 125]	Dick Morris said he used the code name “Charlie” to communicate secretly with Bill Clinton. “So both of us were sort of having a trial marriage. And we both figured it was better for me to be involved secretly. So I made up a code name, ‘Charlie’–which, by the way, is the name of my favorite Republican political consultant, Charlie Black. And I just thought it was kind of funny that I’d use a Republican name, working for Clinton.”

6. Repeats Debunked and Discredited Allegations About the Clintons

Facts seem to be optional for Gary Byrne. Sound like someone else we know? Gary Byrne’s Donald Trump-esque attacks on the Clintons show that he values rumors and titillating tales over the truth.

Cynically Refers to Widely Debunked Conspiracy Theories About Vince Foster’s Tragic Suicide

Gary Byrne wondered if the Clintons had killed Vince Foster. “I saw firsthand how the First Couple had lied, demeaned, and manipulated in such an arrogant and gutless fashion. But could they actually be behind so many of the suspicious –or merely coincidental – deaths surrounding their activities? Had they really killed Vince Foster? Was it even possibly? It weighed on me.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 153]

• Five official investigations deemed Vince Foster’s death a suicide, only a “fringe minority of people” question it. “Yes, there is a fringe minority of people who will believe in just about every conspiracy theory. There are hacks who believe that Foster died in the White House and that his body was moved. There was even a member of Congress who fired bullets into a cantaloupe (or was it a watermelon?) in an effort to prove that Foster was killed. But there were also five official investigations into Foster’s death, conducted by professional investigators, forensic experts, psychologists, doctors and independent prosecutors with unlimited resources.”

• Donald Trump earned Four Pinocchios for questioning Vince Foster’s death. “There is nothing fishy or mysterious about Foster’s tragic suicide. Anyone suggesting otherwise earns Four Pinocchios.”

• Vince Foster’s sister Sheila Foster Anthony said her brother’s “severe depression” caused him to commit suicide. “Five investigations, including by independent counsels Robert B. Fiske Jr. and Kenneth Starr, concluded that Vince suffered from severe depression that caused him to be unable to sleep, unable to work, unable to think straight, and finally to take his own life. I know this to be true because Vince lived with me when he came to Washington to serve as deputy counsel to the president.”

Gary Byrne called the Vince Foster suicide “spooky,” and cited carpet fibers found on his suit coat. “Foster eventually took his own life in Fort Marcy Park. […] But that, along with many other public details of the case (carpet fibers on his suit coat, etc.), made his case spooky.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 66-7]

• The Washington Post Face Checker debunked the claim that carpet fibers found on Vince Foster showed nefarious activities. “Most of the many carpet fibers found on Foster’s clothing came from his home, office and his car, demonstrating that he had not been wrapped in a carpet and taken to the park, as some had claimed.”

Gary Byrne compared himself to Vince Foster. “Suddenly, I realized, This must be what Vince Foster felt like – no escape except one. I never felt as if I had no way out, nor did suicide ever cross my mind. But I was overcome by desperation.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 150]

• Vince Foster’s sister Sheila Foster Anthony called it cruel for people to bring up her brother. “It is beyond contempt that a politician would use a family tragedy to further his candidacy, but such is the character of Donald Trump displayed in his recent comments to The Washington Post. In this interview, Trump cynically, crassly and recklessly insinuated that my brother, Vincent W. Foster Jr., may have been murdered because ‘he had intimate knowledge of what was going on’ and that Hillary Clinton may have somehow played a role in Vince’s death. How wrong. How irresponsible. How cruel.”

Repeats Discredited Claims About Bill Clinton

Gary Byrne said he saw Bill Clinton and Eleanor Mondale together. “Another complete lie. The gall! He was seeing Eleanor, the B-list media star. I’d surprised them in the Map Room and had testified about it!” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 186]

• Eleanor Mondale denied she had an affair with Bill Clinton. “THE daughter of former vice president Walter Mondale spent time with Bill in 1997 at the White House and in Los Angeles, where she miffed Barbra Streisand by taking up much of Bill’s time at a party in his presidential suite and then was seen jogging along the beach with him the next day! Eleanor denied any affair.” [National Enquirer, p. 26, 5/23/16]

• Gary Byrne was stationed outside the Oval Office, not the Map Room. “Gary Byrne, who was posted outside the Oval Office when Bill Clinton was president, portrays Hillary as too ‘erratic, uncontrollable and occasionally violent’ to become leader of the free world, according to advance promotional materials exclusively obtained by Page Six.”

• Former Secret Service inspector said he never once saw what he considered inappropriate behavior in the Clinton White House during his tenure. “Gilhooly, who served primarily in the details of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, was also an inspector within the Secret Service from 1995 through 1997. During that time, he said, he was constantly in contact with people in the White House, and often with Hillary Clinton — professionally, as well as through the former first lady writing a letter on his behalf to an insurance company with which he was having a dispute after the death of his wife in 1993. ‘I never once saw any kind of what I would have considered inappropriate behavior,’ Gilhooly said.”

Repeats Debunked Attacks on Whitewater

Gary Byrne tied the Clintons to Whitewater and described it as “a lot of money moving around in unethical ways.” “And then there was Whitewater, with a lot of money moving around in unethical ways. The Clintons had invested about $200,000 in Arkansas’s Whitewater Development Corporation losing $67,000 of it when the feds shuttered Whitewater for cooking its books and acting as a money-laundering front for local politicians and favor-seeking businesses. How the Clintons could invest so much money while wallowing in $50,000 of campaign debt still mystifies me.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 80]

• 1995 report found no evidence that the Clintons participated in fraud on Whitewater.“A December 1995 report [on Whitewater] by the independent law firm Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro report found no evidence of the Clintons’ and particularly Hillary Clinton’s participation in fraud. Pillsbury’s task was to assess whether federal regulators could justify a lawsuit legally and cost-effectively. The report found that they couldn’t, but the report and its authors didn’t and still don’t view their findings as exoneration.”

Gary Byrne noted Jim McDougal’s mysterious death after the FBI expanded their investigation on Whitewater. “Tripp had the affidavit document proving conspiracy, and Starr had his carter blanche. Janet Reno signed off on the Justice Department and FBI expanding their investigations from the Whitewater scandal – in which their main witness, Jim McDougal, mysteriously died – into conspiracy and perjury in Paula Jones’s sexual harassment case regarding a government employee.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 147]

• Jim McDougal died of cardiac arrest. “Mr. McDougal, who was 57 but looked much older because of chronic circulatory problems, died of cardiac arrest, the Justice Department said.”

7. Gary Byrne’s “Crisis of Character” Has Striking Similarities to Already Discredited Clinton Hit Pieces

There’s a whole cottage industry dedicated to attacking the Clintons, and it looks like Gary Byrne wants in. He can join the likes of Donald Trump super-fan and notorious Clinton hater Roger Stone, Ronald Kessler, and many more! “Crisis of Character” is full of similarities to these old, discredited reads and should be treated as nothing more than fantasy.

GARY BYRNE’S “CRISIS OF CHARACTER”	DISCREDITED CLINTON HIT PIECES
Gary Byrne said he saw how Hillary Clinton “berated Vince Foster until he could stand no more.” “I witnessed her [Hillary Clinton’s] obscenity-laced tirades, her shifting blame, how she berated Vince Foster until he could stand no more, how minor incidents involving blue gloves and botched investigations sent her into a tizzy.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. IX]	Ronald Kessler claimed Hillary Clinton “triggered” Vince Foster’s suicide. “This is really shocking, the FBI investigated the circumstances of the suicide and they interviewed the aides, the friends, the wife and they found that Hilary Clinton had this meeting in the White House a week before the suicide with Foster and other top White House aides. […] Well, after that, he was already depressed of course, but he went downhill after that. His voice changed, he became totally disconsolate. He, after that, committed suicide. And the FBI says on the record that episode triggered his suicide.”
Gary Byrne claimed Bill Clinton had a black eye and insinuated that someone had hit him. “The president entered around nine. His arrival times fluctuated. I couldn’t believe my eyes: a black eye! […] As I departed, I added, ‘Tm also allergic to the back of someone’s hand.’” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 2]	Roger Stone: Hillary Clinton slapped Bill Clinton “hard enough to leave a red mark that would be clearly visible to Secret Service agents when he left the room.”“Hillary rose to her feet and slapped him across the face—hard enough to leave a red mark that would be clearly visible to Secret Service agents when he left the room.” [Roger Stone, The Clintons’ War On Women, p. 194]
Gary Byrne claimed that the Clinton Administration wanted the Secret Service to wear plainclothes and many agents did not want to be on Hillary Clinton’s detail. “The administration was constantly trying to uniformed UD officers to resemble plainclothes special agents while on the road. They wanted us to be ‘user friendly,’ which translated into, ‘Do what we tell you, when we tell you to do it.’ They wanted us to look unintimidating. Appearances really came to a head on Mrs. Clinton’s detail. Eventually, personnel assigned to it regarded the ‘honor’ as a punishment.  It was a transfer no one ‘Wanted because of its constant stress and  negativity.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 51]	Ronald Kessler claimed that Hillary Clinton did not want Secret Service agents to wear uniforms and that she did not like seeing them. “‘She did not want police officers in sight,’ another former Secret Service agent says. ‘How do you explain that to the police? She did not want Secret Service protection near. She wanted state troopers and local police to wear suits and stay in unmarked cars.” [Ronald Kessler, The First Family Detail, p. 21-2]
Gary Byrne: Hillary Clinton threw a “vase” at Bill Clinton. “The Clintons were our top protectees. Thank God the president didn’t fall or hit his head on a mantel or countertop in the course of a yelling match or when she had thrown a vase at him.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 110]	Kate Andersen Brower wrote that Bill and Hillary Clinton got into a physical marital argument. “There was blood all over the president and first lady’s bed,’ writes former White House reporter Kate Andersen Brower. ‘A member of the residence staff got a frantic call from the maid who found the mess. Someone needed to come quickly and inspect the damage. The blood was Bill Clinton‘s. The president had to get several stitches to his head.’”
Gary Byrne claimed Hillary Clinton had disdain for “the little people.” “But I remember Hillary, too: the shortcuts she took, the methods she employed, the yelling, the screaming, her disdain for ‘the little people,’ Bill’s black eye-the country’s black eye.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 272]	Ronald Kessler wrote about “the little people she [Hillary Clinton] claims to champion.” “Nor is Hillary’s nastiness with Secret Service agents-earning her a reputation as the most detested protectee-a sign of a stable individual who cares about the little people she claims to champion. Instead, agents say the real Hillary Clinton hungers for power and bears little resemblance to the image she seeks to project.” [Ronald Kessler, The First Family Detail, p. 243]

 

8. Gary Byrne Lives in Same Conspiracy Theory Fantasyland as Donald Trump

Gary Byrne shows his true colors as a Trumpian Clinton conspiracy theorist, and his tall tales show striking similarities to Donald Trump’s wildly inaccurate claims he’s made throughout his campaign. Donald Trump has made it known he plans to dredge up discredited conspiracy theories, and it looks like he’ll have some help from Gary Byrne’s Clinton fantasy novel.

GARY BYRNE “CRISIS OF CHARACTER”	DONALD TRUMP
Gary Byrne wondered if the Clintons killed Vince Foster. “I saw firsthand how the First Couple had lied, demeaned, and manipulated in such an arrogant and gutless fashion. But could they actually be behind so many of the suspicious –or merely coincidental – deaths surrounding their activities? Had they really killed Vince Foster? Was it even possibly? It weighed on me.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 153]	Donald Trump called the circumstances of Vince Foster’s death “very fishy.” “When asked in an interview last week about the Foster case, Trump dealt with it as he has with many edgy topics — raising doubts about the official version of events even as he says he does not plan to talk about it on the campaign trail. He called theories of possible foul play ‘very serious’ and the circumstances of Foster’s death ‘very fishy.’”
Gary Byrne noted Kathleen Willey’s sexual harassment charges towards Bill Clinton.“In a Pentagon City, VA hotel, Monica also handed Linda Tripp, her Pentagon staffer pen pal, a document (‘Points to Make in an Affidavit’) detailing what to say on an affidavit so as to protect Clinton from charges of sexual harassment made by White House volunteer aide Kathleen Willey.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 147]   Gary Byrne questioned why Bill Clinton’s supporters didn’t believe Paula Jones’s sexual harassment allegations. “And why didn’t the president’s staff and supporters believe Paula Jones’s allegations of sexual harassment?” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 127]	Donald Trump: Bill Clinton “was the biggest abuser of women, as a politician in the history of our country.” ‘“You took a small amount of the speech and you build it up like it’s the biggest thing in the world. But it is a big thing,’ Trump said. ‘Hey, look, he was the biggest abuser of women, as a politician in the history of our country. He was impeached,’ Trump said.”
Gary Byrne tied the Clintons to Whitewater and said money was moving around in unethical ways. “And then there was Whitewater, with a lot of money moving around in unethical ways. The Clintons had invested about $200,000 in Arkansas’s Whitewater Development Corporation losing $67,000 of it when the feds shuttered Whitewater for cooking its books and acting as a money-laundering front for local politicians and favor-seeking businesses.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 80]	Donald Trump planned to attack Hillary Clinton on Whitewater. “Donald Trump, who in recent days has accused Bill Clinton of rape and suggested he and Hillary Clinton may have had a role in the death of one of their close friends, plans to focus next on the Whitewater real estate scandal, POLITICO has learned.”
Gary Byrne brought up the deaths in Benghazi and tied it to the Clintons. “People like Monica and the entire Clinton Machine should never have had access to classified national security-related intelligence of enjoyed leadership positions. Their irresponsibility had consequences. Good men died from it – both in Mogadishu and Benghazi.” [Gary Byrne, Crisis of Character, p. 149]	Donald Trump blamed Hillary Clinton for the attacks in Benghazi. “At a rally in Anaheim, California, Donald Trump said that the report was proof that Clinton did not have the judgment to serve as commander in chief. ‘She’s got horribly bad judgment, and that was stated by none other than Crazy Bernie!’ Trump said. ‘Now, if you look at the war in Iraq, if you look at Libya, which is a total catastrophe, and by the way, with Benghazi and with our ambassador – remember? That’s all Hillary Clinton, folks.”’