CBS Investigators finding confirm Rather's Killian Story

Writing in Salon today, Sydney Blumenthal reports that according to the documentation in the $70 Million lawsuit filed by Dan Rather against CBS news for his treatment prior to his (forced) retirement, CBS had hired an independent investigator on the infamous "Killian Memo" story who had found confirmation of claims made by Rather and producer Mary Mapes.

After allegations of forgery in the memo's by Col. Killian which proclaimed:

"I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be suspended not just for failing to take a physical ... but for failing to perform to U.S. Air Force/Texas Air National Guard standards. The officer [then Lt. Bush] has made no attempt to meet his training certification or flight physical"

Rather and Mapes were placed before a CBS review panel.

Rather believed that the panel would conduct a fair-minded inquiry. But he
learned that neither he nor Mapes would be allowed to cross-examine witnesses. They heard from some researchers on the "60 Minutes II" staff that
before they had been questioned, a CBS executive had told them that they should feel free to pin all blame on Rather and Mapes.

But in his suit Rather alleges that, besides scapegoating himself and Mapes finding the truth was far from the panel's purpose.

CBS had told Rather to cease investigating the story and had even hired a
private investigator of its own, Erik Rigler. Rather and Mapes
discovered that Rigler's investigation had uncovered corroboration for their story. Rather's complaint states that "after following all the
leads given to him by Ms. Mapes, he [Rigler] was of the opinion that the Killian
Documents were most likely authentic, and that the underlying story was
certainly accurate." But rather than probing Rigler on his findings, the
panel, to the extent its lawyers questioned him in a single telephone call,
"appeared more interested whether Mr. Rigler had uncovered derogatory
information concerning Mr. Rather or Ms. Mapes, as to which he had no
information," according to the Rather complaint. Rigler's report was suppressed,
never presented to the panel, and remains suppressed by CBS. Nor did the
panel fully question James Pierce, the handwriting expert consulted by "60 Minutes" who insisted that the signature on the documents was surely Killian's.

Not withstanding the facts, including the interview with Killian's secretary who confirmed everything in the allegedly false memo was true - CBS surged forward with their plan throw Rather and Mapes from the train.

When it came to the merits of the facts the panel elided them. It never
addressed the facts at all. Instead it criticized the "60 Minutes" team for
failing to "obtain clear authentication" of the Killian documents, among other
"errors," though it admitted it could not prove one way or another whether they
were inauthentic. Mapes and three other producers were dismissed. "60 Minutes
II" was abolished. And on the day after Bush's reelection, Rather was
unceremoniously fired. His contract had called for him to continue as anchor for
an additional year and then to serve as a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and "60
Minutes II," but that promise was not honored. CBS believed that by severing its link with Rather it could put the whole incident behind it and begin a new happy relationship with the ascendant Republicans.

Vyan