Intelwire.com publishes U.S. Postal Service files of DC Madam's early-1990s bust

WWW--Freelance reporter J.M. Berger's site--Intelwire.com--is a treasure trove of declassified and primary documentation of the war on terror and American involvement in global politics. On July 8th, he posted around 40 pages from the early-1990s federal investigation into Deborah Jeane Palfrey and her first escort service, which also included the use by the late madam of money orders, credit cards, and a generally criminal misuse of the postal system.

The documents are included with commentary from Mr. Berger, who has written and researched for the National Geographic Channel, NPR, and numerous other media outlets. His work looks pretty sound and unbiased, and the site is a good place to start for researchers looking into far-ranging topics as 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing, FBI misconduct, our intelligence community and their links with known international terrorists, government informants running amok and committing profoundly violent crimes--and that's just for starters.

My own question is: why post it on a site dedicated to "the War on Terror, domestic and international extremism, and Middle Eastern politics"?

http://intelwire.egoplex.com/2008_07_08_blogarchive.html#2187829177917801058

FOX NEWS PREEMPTS PALFREY INTERVIEW FOR OVER-COVERAGE OF JESSIE DAVIS BOMBSHELL

pre·empt [prE-'em(p)t]

Function: verb ...

Etymology: back-formation from preemption
[;] transitive verb

1 : to acquire (as land) by preemption
2 : to seize upon to the exclusion of others : take for oneself
3 : to replace with something considered to be of greater value or priority : take precedence over (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/preempt)

Fox News--You knew it just had to be too good to be true: Geraldo (Jerry Rivers, that guy who was fired from 20/20--not mad dog)was to do a segment with Deborah Jeane Palfrey at 8PM Eastern tonight, but there was a breakthrough in the case of the missing Jessie Davis. J-7 extends condolences to the Davis family and everyone affected in Canton, Ohio, this is a horrible day.

All that said, I knew when I learned of the piece that it could never run tonight (don't ask me how, but I do watch David Cronenberg films a lot)--and they must be breathing easier at Fox, I couldn't understand why they of all news networks would want to run an interview on a scandal that appears to be heavily-populated with members of the GOP. [Ed., 06.24.2007--I'm beginning to see the light on this--cover your ass, or "CYA"]

You know, people known to Roger Aisles. It wouldn't surprise me if he made the call to yank everything else. There wasn't even a mention during the program of what was preempted, which was interesting.

This is not to take away from the suffering, the confusion, the anger, or the sense-of-hopelessness that must be pervasive in Canton right now, this is a horrible event. But to run the same footage of her body being wheeled-out from its dumping-ground--over-and-over--after the family of Jessie Davis asked Fox News to stop running this specific imagery, is unconscionable.

It also throws-into-question their preempting of the Palfrey interview (with her civil attorney Montgomery Blair Sibley), and why they would schedule it at all. Then there's the people who ignore me--Rawstory. Here's part of what I got in the e-mail announcing the Fox broadcast that might yet drop:

Additionally, Mr. Sibley and I will be guests on “Geraldo”, Saturday, June 23rd. The interview will be my first in a nationwide setting, since the 20/20 piece aired on May 4th. I hope to discuss my displeasure with the ABC broadcast and why I believe the network held back names at the last moment. I hope to announce my decision to distribute the phone records (all years 1993 to 2006) to as many responsible media, press and bloggers as possible, once the current injunction prohibiting me from releasing the invoices is lifted [Ed.-my emphasis. This is where I think Rawstory's headline is misleading. 'If an eye offends thee...']– and my reasons for doing so. Furthermore, it is Mr. Sibley and my hope we will be able talk about the fact that the Government, with the intentioned/unintentional assistance of the Courts has been able to seize and hold my property for 9 months now, without a hearing on the matter.

Instead, we get a full 2hrs. of the same aspects of the murder of Jessie Davis in excruciating monotony, with the original program "thrown into the air." All for ratings. It's a sad statement on where American journalism is...or rather, where it isn't: where the real ones that have genuine national implications stories are. Oddly, Rawstory didn't include the article by myself that was enclosed by Jeane in the newsletter.

It's OK, I still recommend them and will continue to read their very informative journalism, and their great site. They're doing good work as far as I'm concerned. Nonetheless, they might check into some of the observations I made in the article here on Ed Norris, and it's just the beginning. Again, if anyone wants Postal Inspector Joe Clark's home phone number, it's here for-the-asking, laddies.

The motives were ratings, and that's fine if you're doing entertainment, but it becomes unseemly when you start chasing stories like the Davis ambulance to a point where it's just whiting-out everything else. Somehow, some way...I knew the interview couldn't run. I just hope it was taped and that Fox News can finally run it. If they never do, we know they may have never had any intentions, which is very curious. Oh yeah, a few-days-ago 17 American soldiers were killed in Iraq, then 7 just today, nothing special. Especially all the Afghani and Iraqis who have been killed by-the-dozens.

If only we had an Oracle of Delphi for our times...but missing white girls are all that matter, not runaways, prostitutes, Black women and children, Black men, the uninsured, Native Americans on the reservations, the unemployed, the homeless, our soldiers, our liberties, nada. Geraldo did have on a nice pin-striped suit, however, he looked sharp, even svelte. Where is the wisdom?

Rawstory's--those folks who like to ignore me--headline appeared a little misleading, as I also received the same e-mail they did, and I didn't notice much about the "DC madam says she may announce decision to distribute phone records." It makes you think that Jeane Palfrey would do it without an end to the injunction on her phone records, which isn't likely. To be fair and balanced, we'll just have to wait-and-see. Death to Videodrome, long live the new flesh.

Rawstory's take before the broadcast that didn't happen (watch them ignore me, it's amusing and at our mutual expense now! Hilarity ensues!): http://rawstory.com/news/2007/DC_madam_says_she_may_announce_0623.html

Addendum: I'm told by sources that the show's producers (of the segment, which also wasn't so exciting) will be airing it tomorrow, and that "I'm sorry this came from above so we will put the interview as is on our show tomorrow. Again I'm sorry this was beyond our control but it will air tomorrow night at 8pm." Goodnight Gracie.

J-7 CALL FOR INFORMATION ON THESE PALFREY INVESTIGATORS AND PROSECUTORS

Maria E. Couvillon or Cuvillion U.S. Postal Inspector [Ed.--Palfrey contends that she to be in her late-twenties, early-thirties. 6/27-name is phonetic. Wayne Madsen Report has it as "Cuvio."]
Joe Clark, U.S. Postal Inspector (want his home phone number? Get it before he changes it!) [Ed.-Palfrey also contends that Clark is the same age-range.]
Catherine K. Connelly, Assistant U.S. Attorney (MA Bar #649430) [Ed.-Ms. Palfrey contends in our interview that Ms. Connelly appears to be in the same age-range as the aforementioned investigators.]
William Rakestraw Cowden, Assistant U.S. Attorney (D.C. Bar #426301)
Jeffrey A. Taylor, U.S. Attorney [Ed.-Appointed interim by Alberto Gonzales under the Patriot Act provision that was that was repealed by recent legislation--Taylor has 109 days left in his term as of June 26th, 2007, less than the president]
Daniel P. Butler, Assistant U.S. Attorney (D.C. Bar #417718)
Troy Burrus, Agent Internal Revenue Service [Ed. Ms. Palfrey and her mother contend that Burrus appeared to be around the same ages as Connelly, Clark & Cuvillon. Palfrey's mother only met Burrus and Cuvillon on the night of June 5th of this year.]
Is there a doctor in the house? J-7 would like to know the ages and hiring-circumstances of these folks, the accusers of one Deborah Jeane Palfrey. I believe that Mr. Taylor was appointed by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, so we already know his appointment as an U.S. Attorney was questionable.

Is he a Republican? I'm sure we'll all be finding-out very soon. While J-7 cannot fully substantiate the ages of the others yet, it's even money that Cuvillon, Clark, and Burrus are in their late-20s, or early-30s.

This is very strange--how does one become a Postal investigator/inspector at 22-24? This writer contends that it would take some serious juice, a benefactor either already ensconced above within the bureaucracy, or someone who was appointed by the president. I'm trying to get through to a number of these public servants, and without any luck so far. This is what we need to know, then, in-sum:

--What are the exact ages of these public servants?
--How did they attain their positions within the federal bureaus that they're working for? Were they appointed? We know that Jeffrey A. Taylor, lead prosecutor, was appointed by the embattled Alberto Gonzales. He actually appears to be in his 30s, but Al scotched his credibility already. Taylor is a "positive" example, but then, all of them could be considered such. Assistant U.S. Attorneys are appointed. All Justice Department lawyers on Palfrey's case were appointed by Alberto Gonzales.
--Are any or all of these individuals evangelical Christians with an activist background?
--Did any of them attend colleges like Regents School of Law?
--What are their real world qualifications? Court documents appear to be saying that Ms. Cuvillon has almost none whatsoever.
--Do they have any incidents in their professional records that would call their credibility into question as prosecutors or investigators?

--What's their educational background? Taylor's appears to be pretty solid, and so is Troy Burrus's--he went to Auburn University.

These are a few things we all need to know as citizens, but it's a rare commodity. It's beginning to look like FOIA-time here at J-7. We need to know if our prosecutors are credible and untainted politically. Credible submissions only, it has to be solid primary evidence, legally-obtained. I welcome these public servants to contact me through my blog profile, my e-mail address is available there.

Ed.--revised, June 26th & 29th, 2007.

"HOOKERGATE," CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANTS, AND "THE KIDS"

VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA/WASHINGTON D.C.--In an earlier article, this writer mentioned two names in the headline--Joe Clark and Maria Couvillon (phonetic). According to Ms. Deborah Jeane Palfrey and her civil attorney Blair Sibley, these are the two postal investigators who called Palfrey's realtor at 2pm for access to her home.

At this time, they had no warrant, and secured one later that day in Sacramento from a lowly magistrate. Clark and Couvillon obtained their warrant, but with what information? Read on. Did they accuse Ms. Palfrey of links to Al-Qaida? Apparently not, since she's not at Guantanamo Bay prison. Ms. Palfrey has informed me that Couvillon, Clark, and IRS agent Troy Burrus--not the UK pop star--are all in their late-twenties. How is this important? Further investigation could tell us, and about a whole lot more.
USPS couldn't confirm on the two from postal investigations, but Palfrey asserts that all were in this age-range (she calls them, "the kids"). Why would this matter? It could have something to do with the current "war on terror," and hiring and appointment-practices under the Bush administration. How did Monica Goodling get her job? She was appointed, she is 33, and she attended Pat Robertson University for her law degree (take that, Harvard!). Can the same be said for Clark and Burrus? According to Palfrey's civil attorney (Sibley), Couvillon has no substantial educational background that would qualify her as a postal investigator. Importantly: why was Couvillon present with IRS agent Troy Burrus on a visit to Palfrey's mother in Florida about a week ago? More on this aspect later. If any readers have information pertaining to the educational background of government agents covering this case, it would be greatly appreciated.

Mr. Clark left his home phone number with Ms. Palfrey's realtor--want it? Mainstream media and many so-called "liberal" blogs don't appear interested in this story anymore. They should know that there were "screaming matches" at ABC over whether to run the full-story or not. Brian Ross wanted to do full-disclosure, but his Executive producers quashed the segment. Many things ended-up "on the cutting-room floor," asserts Palfrey. Considering the run-up to the show, this is not hard to believe.

A call to the USPS's PIO (Public Information Office) has so far yielded no new answers, and many of the unanswered questions cannot simply be due to investigative procedures. There could be some stonewalling. I'm still waiting, but was told that the release of how long both agents were with the USPS as investigators was likely. J-7 readers will be the first to know. Author William Keisling has informed me that Sunday's Sopranos finale had a line referencing a prostitution and bribery scandal. Jeane was excited to watch the show that night, and it must have been a stunner, she's a big fan of the show (hey, who isn't?). One can grant that it's entirely legitimate to withhold certain facts in an investigation (there are legitimate concerns not to expose procedure), but shouldn't Ms. Palfrey and her civil attorney know who authorized the trip of Ms. Couvillon and Mr. Clark? Was it the grand jury? Shouldn't we all know by now?

If the investigation into her lasted over two years, why is it still ongoing after nine months after its disclosure? It gives the appearance that this--as Ms. Palfrey so aptly put it--is a "loser" case run by incompetents, and that there is a lot of scrambling going on in various bureaus. Why isn't she being given due process? Was there ever really an investigation at all? These are worthy questions, and the prosecution and investigators won't answer them. We could have a case of gross incompetence here, and that's just-for-starters. But it's even worse: there was use of informants. "[There were] five girls that they questioned in December of 2005, and questioned them--believe me, very leading questions. This is the information that they used for the search warrant...The girls who were interviewed in December of 2005 were girls who worked for me in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. That's why the information was at least 3-1/2-to-5-years-old....[from] these five "confidential informants," states Palfrey.

She goes on to detail what she's been shown of these "affidavits," most statements totaling "a couple of paragraphs, tops." This sounds all-too-familiar. The affidavits sound consistent with the strategy of the press: don't name any names of clients, especially if they're prominent.

For other primary documents:
www.deborahjeanepalfrey.com/html.legal

THE FEDS HARRASSED DEBORAH JEANE PALFREY'S MOTHER LAST NIGHT

More later: www.deborahjeanepalfrey.com