Just Who Was At That Fake FEMA Briefing?

CBS News Obtains A Photo Of The "Press" Gallery Full Of FEMA Staffers

(CBS/AP)  CBS News has obtained this photo of the now infamous fake FEMA press conference held during the California wildfires. The photo, taken by a FEMA employee, is one of the only known photos of the press gallery of that event.

The gallery is not filled with members of the press but with high-level agency employees.

At the podium on the left is Vice Admiral Harvey Johnson, the second in command at FEMA.

The former director of public affairs at the agency, John "Pat" Philbin told CBS News last week, "I am not aware that he knew what was happening and all of sudden staff were asking questions."

Identified in the photo are staff members that Johnson works closely with on a daily basis.

From left to right: Nathaniel Fogg, Counselor to the Director and Deputy Director; John "Pat" Philbin, former Director of External Affairs; Michael Widomski, Public Affairs Specialist; Eric Heighberger, Special Assistant, Office of the Administrator; Cindy Taylor (in tan suit), Communications Deputy Director; Dan Shulman (red tie), Director of Legislative Affairs; Debbie Wing (curly blond hair), Media Response Liaison; Aaron Walker (back to camera), National Spokesman.

Primary Source Blog: Heads Roll At FEMA | "I Should Have Cancelled"

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It was announced Thursday that an internal investigation had found that FEMA's press secretary encouraged, and in some cases instructed, employees to pose as reporters and ask questions at the fake news conference.

At the same time, the investigation, which was conducted by Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke, concluded that officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, did not set out to deceive the public. Knocke blamed bad decision-making and a rush to get out information about wildfires that were raging in southern California.

"Much like in an airline crash or automobile accident that was reconstructed, there were several different points leading up to the press conference where, had a single decision been made differently, the event itself could have been averted," Knocke said Thursday.

Aaron Walker, the FEMA press secretary, has since accepted a job with a public relations firm in Utah. He said Thursday that FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison did not ask him to leave as a result of the incident or the investigation's findings.

On Oct. 23, reporters were given 15 minutes' notice for what turned into a staged question-and-answer briefing with FEMA's deputy administrator about the California fires. No genuine journalists attended, although they were given a conference call number they could use to listen in but not ask questions. A half-dozen questions were asked at the event by FEMA staff members posing as reporters.

Since the briefing Philbin - who, at the time of the news conference, already had accepted a job at the office of the director of national intelligence - lost his new post before he even started because of the incident.

The incident has been condemned by the White House and by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Paulison called it "an egregious decision."

A FEMA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the investigation found that during the news conference Walker advised the staff that the briefing continued to be televised and that they should continue to ask questions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about personnel matters.

Walker, in an interview Thursday, said he had asked his boss to push back the time of the news conference, which had been hastily set for 1 p.m. Walker said he sent a 12:17 p.m. e-mail to Philbin and Homeland Security's assistant secretary for public affairs, Ed Fox, and asked for more time, but the e-mail went unanswered.

The agency's deputy administrator, Harvey Johnson, called on FEMA employees by name during the news conference and knew they weren't reporters.

The Homeland Security Department, of which FEMA is a part, directed FEMA officials to hold a news conference that day before Chertoff and Paulison landed in California, but did not designate a specific time, the FEMA official said.

Since the incident, the department suffered another public relations embarrassment when it was discovered that the assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement judged a Halloween costume contest and awarded "most original" to an employee dressed in dreadlocks, dark makeup and prison stripes. That employee has been placed on leave.

[creeper00]

"SIOUX CITY, Iowa %u2014 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton%u2019s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy.
Hillary promises it won''''t happen again.


Where''''s the liberals selective outrage on this ???"
Posted by mocalleo at 08:54 AM : Nov 11, 2007

Obviously you have not looked. It''s here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/10/14314/520

on the most left-wing blog on the net. Don''t condemn all Democrats for Hillary''s sneakiness.

[creeper00]

Laugh of the day:

"At the same time, the investigation, ***which was conducted by Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke,*** concluded that officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, did not set out to deceive the public."

[micma-2009]

Everyone in that picture should be fired.

[mocalleo]

NOT BEING REPORTED ON CBS (not as of 9:17am Saturday)


SIOUX CITY, Iowa %u2014 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton%u2019s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy.
Hillary promises it won''t happen again.


Where''s the liberals selective outrage on this ???

.

[mocalleo]

NOT BEING REPORTED ON CBS (not as of 9:17am Saturday)


SIOUX CITY, Iowa %u2014 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton%u2019s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy.
Hillary promises it won''t happen again.


Where''s the liberals selective outrage on this ???

.

[michaelt302]

Typical CBS, making a mountain out of any GOP molehill it can find. CBS mentality: if an agency is linked in the slightest bit to the current administration, even 1%, and someone does something the least askew, then you must ensure that it makes the front page, that it makes the front page repeatedly, and that it appears to rank with Watergate as a national scandal. Anything that has the slightest chance to embarrass Bush, even indirectly, must suddenly be made the top story, regardless of whatever stories are going on. Is there no shame at CBS for doing this? Of course not: liberalism is a mental disorder.

[trenticus-2009]

WHOS ON 1st ??? NO Whos on 2nd,, but wheres Who ??? on 2nd !!! Then where is he, Wheres on 1st,,,,,,

Posted by JetRanger7

Actually it''s something like... "Who''s on first, what''s on second and I don''t know is on third."

[jetranger7]

WHOS ON 1st ??? NO Whos on 2nd,, but wheres Who ??? on 2nd !!! Then where is he, Wheres on 1st,,,,,,

[brmonsoon]

What''s the big deal really? This isn''t anything different than putting out a press release instead of doing an interview. The press is making a big deal because they can, this is their game and we have to watch, listen, or look at what they decide is the news. Do you really think we would have even seen/heard anything that came out of a FEMA press conference that came out of this if it would have been set up? No way.

[glaswolf]

mocalleo, the question is not to bave a balance in the tolerance of crime or neo crime, distortion or just the fanciful twisting of witness, opinion or variations of truth, the concept. A party of purity cannot justify its impurities by pointing to its adversaries equivalent impurities. The hypocrisy is what I think the problem is. Would you delay a hanging of deserved folks because others who were worse could not be brought to the gallows? With that kind of logic, we would never have hangings. Now, who whould want to live in a world without political hangings?

[glaswolf]

ibsteve2u, I think it''s more like having Lou Costello investigate Bud Abbott.

[jetranger7]

OK-Heres the Deal Folks at who was at the "Fema-Meeting", it was a Bunch of College Republican Flunkies, who just managed to get a Job with FEMA, not for What they know, but Who they know,and the little games they played in their Colleges, why they get to try to play them here in real life on the job, in the real world too, and by the way, Uncle Richard Cheney said we could too, he authorized it, and so, that just makes it A-OK, too ! Why other Government bodies under this Adminstration are doing the same thing, why can''t we College Flunkies do it, our Professor at Harvard or Yale, or Northwestern said we could, its part of the political arena he said to do things like this, whats wrong with it? How do you think we all got our college Degrees to do this job ? Ya, know College was much funner than this, and we could play games to and not get in trouble for it either ! Thats why my Rick-well to do parents spent 175,000 dollars for me to go to places like this, so I''d have a FUN Job when I got out !

[rushlimpdrug]

Hillary Clinton%u2019s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy. Hillary promises it won''''''''t happen again.


Where''''''''s the liberals selective outrage on this ???
.Posted by mocalleo

Liberals have been outraged about global warming for a long time.
Meanwhile, you and TermTex01 can snuggle up in your sleeping bags like the good little brokeback cowboys you are.

[mocalleo]

NOT BEING REPORTED ON CBS (not as of 9:17am)


SIOUX CITY, Iowa %u2014 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton%u2019s campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy. Hillary promises it won''''t happen again.


Where''''s the liberals selective outrage on this ???

.

[jetranger7]

Well its Quite Evident,on here that the "NEO-NAZI-Republicans" are on here trying to stand up for their Disgusting, Degenerate, Dispicable, Arrogrant, Moran of a leader ! Figures, how they Lie and attempt to distort and Spin the truth into anything their little Imiganation can concieve, what a bunch of pure bread Genuine F*C*-Ups ! As usual, up to their old tricks of showing everybody what a bunch of Degenerates worthless Piece of Human Waste they are !

[termtex01]

rushlimpdrug

hey ''ya''ll'', shut the fvck up, Clinton is a liar, a cheat, and a socialist. WQhy don''t you admit it, little brown-shirtted, boot-licking fascist.

[rushlimpdrug]

Clinton''''s Iowa campaign confirmed to Fox News that one of its staff discussed questions with Mitchell before her April 2 event, but denied attempting to plant a pro-Clinton question.
Posted by TermTex01

Hey stupid, grow up. This happens all the time.
You can post it once and those of us that know how to read understand it.
You can post it several times and say to the world "Hi ya''ll I''m TermTex01 and I''m STUPID".

The story is about a FAKE Press Conference.
Get it?
FAKE PRESS CONFERENCE.

Wow, if this catches on, the CBS evening news would be out of work. No wonder they decided to notice it.

Pity they never managed to notice all the other BushCo lies.

[starleo146]

Happy Birthday to the U.S. Marines. 11/10/1775 232Years!

Posted by usmcvn at 11:30 AM : Nov 10, 2007

DITTO-- Semper-Fi-- WHOOOOAH

[termtex01]

AGAIN! IT''S HAPPENED AGAIN!

SIOUX CITY, Iowa %u2014 For the second time in as many days, Hillary Clinton''s presidential campaign has had to deal with accusations of planting questions during public appearances.

In a telephone interview Saturday with Fox News, Geoffrey Mitchell, 32, said he was approached by Clinton campaign worker Chris Hayler to ask a question about how she was standing up to President Bush on the question on funding the Iraq war and a troop withdrawal timeline.

The encounter happened before an event hosted by Iowa State Sen. Gene Frais on a farm outside Fort Madison, Iowa.

Clinton''s Iowa campaign confirmed to Fox News that one of its staff discussed questions with Mitchell before her April 2 event, but denied attempting to plant a pro-Clinton question.