Military Subpoenas CBS Haditha Video

Prosecutors: Unaired "60 Minutes" Footage Has Marine's Admission Of Crimes In Iraq Massacre

(AP)  Military prosecutors say unaired footage of a CBS interview given by a Marine squad leader contains admissions of crimes in an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians.

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich "apparently admits in an unaired segment that he did in fact order his men to 'shoot first and ask questions later,'" Capt. Nicholas Gannon said in response to a motion filed by CBS seeking to quash a subpoena seeking the footage.

CBS is set to ask a military judge Friday to throw out the subpoena during a pretrial hearing for Wuterich, who faces voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the Nov. 19, 2005, deaths in Haditha, Iraq.

In its motion, CBS says the subpoena would be "unreasonable and oppressive," and turn a news organization into an investigative arm of the government.

"This fishing expedition is particularly inappropriate given the numerous other sources of information concerning the events underlying this court-martial," according to the motion obtained by The Associated Press.

The subpoena stems from an interview aired on March 15, 2007, on "60 Minutes" entitled "The Killings at Haditha."

In the interview, Wuterich recounted to CBS News Correspondent Scott Pelley his recollection of the events that led to the deaths.

The deaths occurred after a roadside bomb hit a Marine convoy, killing the driver of a Humvee and wounding two other Marines. Wuterich and a squad member, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, allegedly shot five men by a car at the scene. Wuterich then ordered his squad into several houses, where they cleared rooms with grenades and gunfire, killing unarmed civilians in the process.

The manslaughter charge against Wuterich, 27, includes specifications of a personal role in at least nine killings, naming seven victims plus one or more unknown people, and the allegation that he ordered a lance corporal to kill someone.

In the CBS motion, attorneys Lee Levine and Seth D. Berlin contend there have been multiple government investigations into the Haditha incident, and numerous witnesses provided statements to investigators.

California has one of the nation's most protective statutes shielding journalists from prosecutors' inquiries. The law generally allows journalists to decline to divulge unpublished material to state authorities, but the protection does not extend to federal courts, which include military courts.

CBS says testimony is available from witnesses, including members of Wuterich's squad who are not being prosecuted.

But prosecutors, who have previously said squad members are "far from cooperative," say it is apparent to them from Pelley's narration that Wuterich made admissions in unaired footage.

In the response, Gannon writes that Pelley's questions and his narration are apparently based on information Wuterich must have provided during the interview.

The network had no comment on the subpoena or the pending hearing, said Sandra Genelius, a spokeswoman for CBS News, which is a division of CBS Corp.

Four enlisted Marines were initially charged with murder in the case and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Charges against four of the men have been dropped, and none will face murder charges.

Still facing court-martial are Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, who is charged with dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order on allegations that he mishandled the aftermath of the Haditha shootings; and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, on charges of making false official statements, obstruction of justice and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.

Wuterich is scheduled to be court-martialed March 3.

[rowdytexan2]

God help our young soldiers who were thrown into this hellish war! Let justice be served!

How many more young lives are we going to allow to be ruined having to make judgments to protect themselves against unknown enemies!

[remmeler]

The military today consists of a lot of Field Grade Officers & Generals who are scared of not being promoted & political correctness that doesn''t reconize what fear, combat, and the fog of war causes. Anyone who joins today is crazy because the top brass will not protect you and you could end up the target of one of the investigations

[jumkey]

I''m sorry, but ***?

CBS is doing a story the military purposely targeting civilians and they don''t air footage where the accused admits to doing in it?

Here''s to ya CBS "News" and the rest of our bought and paid for media,

Get real jobs.

[antoniof123]

In its motion, CBS says the subpoena would be "unreasonable and oppressive," and turn a news organization into an investigative arm of the government.

While I do agree with CBS I also have to state that they should have aired this section so that said it is too late to claim something that they should have done to begin with.

Too bad true journalism is no more that was the days when news stations reported the news instead of trying to get ratings and picking a side.

CBS what happened to you did you jump on the GOP bandwagon and try to make news what you wanted it.

The truth is the ultimate defense, don''t let the GOP or any group tell you how to run your station remember Murrow.

[brianbwb-2009]

Don''t forget the fact that it is because of lies by the C n C that our soldiers are even there, so let the trials start where the buck stops.

[cbs_oliver]

It seems peculiar that this information is being sought only after the scope of the charges has been reduced considerably. That is the consideration that makes this questionable.

Otherwise it would be wrong for a news organization to withhold a confession to a crime. The argument that another confession can be obtained is not based on fact but on speculation - which in this case seems to be unfounded speculation.

[omega39-2009]

In its motion, CBS says the subpoena would be "unreasonable and oppressive," and turn a news organization into an investigative arm of the government.


They should just ignore it like Bush and his cronies ignore the endless stream of subpoenas coming their way.

[cbs_oliver]

Following up: the dropping of the charges of murder was based, in part, on the militarys erronious argument that their rules of engagement (tantemmount to the Crusader rules "Kill them all, let God choose his own.") are legal.

That will have to be sorted out in the war crimes trials (ala Nuremberg) if they ever occur.

[patriotic9]

(AP) Military prosecutors say unaired footage of a CBS interview given by a Marine squad leader contains admissions of crimes in an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians.

Psychotic christians practised Bible which commands them;

Jesus Himself said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law---a man''s enemies will be the members of his own household%u2019" (Matthew 10:34-36). "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (Matthew 11:12).

"While people are saying, "Peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

How many more million innocent GOD-NEGLECTED need to get killed , and how many GOD-CHOSEN need to occpy the land between Euphrate in Iraq and Nile in Egypt for the 2nd coming of Christ?

Lindsay Lohan with her nude pictures is a lot better then Holy Butcher "CONDI RICE" who compared death of innocent civilians in Lebanon to "BIRTH PANG" (She was expecting Jesus coming out of the rubbles of Lebanon just like a new born child comes out of mother''s womb, after a period of BIRTH PANG).

It''s better to see a NAKED BODY then to see a DEAD BODY.

[missingamerica]

NCO can not give orders, but rather directives.

Posted by darkmeat4 at 12:20 PM : Feb 22, 2008

Excuuuusssee me?

From the UCMJ:

891. ART. 91. INSUBORDINATE CONDUCT TOWARD WARRANT OFFICER, NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER, OR PETTY OFFICER

Any warrant officer or enlisted member who--

(1) strikes or assaults a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer, while that officer is in the execution of his office;

(2) willfully disobeys the lawful order of a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer; or

(3) treats with contempt or is disrespectful in language or deportment toward a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer while that officer is in the execution of his office; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

Observe paragraph 2 - an NCO is a noncommissioned officer.

[cbs_oliver]

Posted by patriotic9 at 12:01 PM : Feb 22, 2008

There is certainly reason to wonder about Matthew''s accuracy or to wish that Christ spoke more clearly about some of the matters Matthew describes.

Matthew 10:34 is certainly a passage that killers often find validating.

I reject that interpretation myself. So do many others.

[cbs_oliver]

Posted by terrorislam0 at 12:52 PM : Feb 22, 2008

You really need to space out your deprecating adjectives so that only one or two are applied to any one instance of the word "islam".

You are not really making much sense.

Better yet you could stop your spamming ways and try to do some good in the world.

[walt1944-2009]

Any soldier who has been in "Harm''s Way" will tell you that war isn''t fun nor pretty. It''s not the patriotic rally round the flag and march off to the front singing "God Bless America" that the lazy armchair generals and neocon Fascist Nazis want you to think it is.

It''s easy to see why so many soldiers "snap" when they see the horror of war, when they see their "brough" lying on the ground in pieces, and the only ones they can trust are the soldiers still alive around them. If they are lucky enough to come home, the top brass, who don''t even know what an M-16 looks like, can''t understand why military suicides are up.

And the Great Commander in Chief, sitting comfortably at home in the White House, wants the troops to stay on their tours longer, supplies them with substandard equipment,and demands to continue the war by blackmailing Congress into "SUPPORT THE TROOPS"! And he is supported by every neocon Fascist Nazi Republican out there including the "almost" GOP nominee for his job!

The Great Emperor Bush II is turning the troops into a psychotic group of zombies, then returning them to their families to deal with!

WHAT A GUY!!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!
sig heil, McCain???

[randynason]

The military was bad before but has gone too far this past seven years with its'' unleashed, dog-eat-dog ethic. Thank God, I served the U.S. during the Vietnam era and did my stint. It (the military) is nothing short of a sadistic monster now that needs to be collared.

[cbs_oliver]

Posted by walt1944 at 01:30 PM : Feb 22, 2008

I generally agree.

The ultimate responsibility lies with the officers. They have provided rules of engagement which are not consistent with the intent of the Geneva conventions and have shown leniency to excesses besides.

Sometimes the only thing that stops a frightened soldier from killing a person or persons is fear of punishment from his own command (or maybe the people in the neighborhood). Part of that is missing when the rules of engagement are loose and loosly enforced besides.

[cbs_oliver]

In summary, Christian nut-jobs: feel free to kill all the Christians you like, but it''''s your duty to leave the rest of us alone!

Posted by GladImNotOJ at 01:41 PM : Feb 22, 2008

I never thought of that!

[jersupporter]

The military was bad before but has gone too far this past seven years with its'''' unleashed, dog-eat-dog ethic. Thank God, I served the U.S. during the Vietnam era and did my stint. It (the military) is nothing short of a sadistic monster now that needs to be collared. Posted by RandyNason
-------------------------------
What has the military done wrong? I believe they are doing a fine job with the vague guidance and the extremely difficult mission. Why do they need to be collared? Last time I looked, the military is simply Americans sons and daughters. The streets and thugs of Detroit, Atlanta, LA and other big cities are more dangerous than the military.

[myidoncbs]

terrorislam0, why do you always lead with your weakest case? You claim the muslims are all out to kill all the non-muslims. But you ignore the fact that your God repeatedly ordered his followers to kill all the unbelievers, or to kill their first born male children, or to bash their babies heads against the rocks, etc., etc.

There is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE between the two. If you want to convince anybody that "your side" is somehow superior, then you are going to have to come up with something new. As it stands, everything you paste into these comments simply demonstrates that you are an ignorant racist fool.

[demslie]

The military was bad before but has gone too far this past seven years with its'''''''' unleashed, dog-eat-dog ethic. Thank God, I served the U.S. during the Vietnam era and did my stint. It (the military) is nothing short of a sadistic monster now that needs to be collared. Posted by RandyNason
-------------------------------
What has the military done wrong? I believe they are doing a fine job with the vague guidance and the extremely difficult mission. Why do they need to be collared? Last time I looked, the military is simply Americans sons and daughters. The streets and thugs of Detroit, Atlanta, LA and other big cities are more dangerous than the military.


Posted by JERSupporter

I cannot believe that any person who served in the Military would not understand the conditions that soldiers and Marines must work. The comments by RandyNason are obviously by a Liberal Democrat and not by a true person who served.

[demslie]

CBS news did not air this (old) story for news. They keep putting it on the air as an anti-war statement. The Democrats could not give a craaap about our military. This story is just part of an evil agenda to harm our military in no different way than AL Qaeda wants to harm our military.

[jjp735i]

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich new his legal rights before he gave his interview. he gace tis interview freely. CBS should turn over the full interview as they would not be acting like the long arm of the law. CBS News also knew of the pending investigation and did the interview anyway. CBS also knew Wuterich''s legal rights and it looks like CBS was more interested in getting a story.

[jjp735i]

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich new his legal rights before he gave his interview. He gave this interview freely. CBS should turn over the full interview as they would not be acting like the long arm of the law. CBS News also knew of the pending investigation and did the interview anyway. CBS also knew Wuterich''''s legal rights and it looks like CBS was more interested in getting a story.

Need an edit button.

[ioweign]

CBS news did not air this (old) story for news. They keep putting it on the air as an anti-war statement. The Democrats could not give a craaap about our military. This story is just part of an evil agenda to harm our military in no different way than AL Qaeda wants to harm our military.

Posted by demslie at 02:15 PM : Feb 22, 2008

Wow - you are all over the place. First - there is a LARGE number of veterans that are against the Bush''s Choice Conflict in Iraq - me being one of them. Second - Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney and Company sent our military into combat unprepared and lacking the proper gear (also it is a Republican Administration pumping out lies trying to justify their actions). Third - there are veterans against this Iraq quagmire that have children in harm''s way over there.

The evil agenda was laid out by Bush - so don''t blame the messenger...

[myidoncbs]

demslie say, "CBS news did not air this (old) story for news. They keep putting it on the air as an anti-war statement."

The NEW part of the story is that THE MILITARY has supoenaed CBS to get the tapes of the interview! How is that CBS''s fault? CBS says it does not want to turn over the tapes. How is that an "anti war statement"?

Your blind hatred of CBS is misplaced.

PS: Interesting name choice, "demslie". It appears that you define yourself by your hatred of others. That is a truly sad existence.

[myidoncbs]

terrorislam0 asks, "do you know of any christian clergy calling for any of that???" You don''t specify what you mean by "that", so it''s rather difficult to answer. However, I was speaking about what many "Christians" do and say, not about what their clergy tell them to think and say and do.

terrorislam0: "where have i ever compared the two???"

The comparison is implicit in every post you make. You repeatedly claim that muslim people are violent, evil, murderers, bent on the total annihilation of the rest of the world, that they justify their behavior by what is written in their scriptures, and that we must all HATE and FEAR, and eventually annihilate, them because of it. However, the EXACT SAME violent, evil, murdering, genocidal rantings occur in the Christian Bible. If one is bad, so is the other. If the muslims have to be exterminated, so do the Christians.

Or, we could try to act like rational, sane people-- something you appear to have entirely rejected.

[myidoncbs]

terrorislam0, still blaming Clinton for EVERYTHING, claimed it was Bill Clinton who destroyed the US military by downsizing it. BUT THAT IS A LIE! The truth is, it was D.ick Cheney (now VP), who dit it!!!

Read it and weep, M/F: (excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney)

"Cheney''s most immediate issue as Secretary of Defense was the Department of Defense budget. Cheney deemed it appropriate to cut the budget and downsize the military, following President Ronald Reagan''s peacetime defense buildup at the height of the Cold War. As part of the fiscal year 1990 budget, Cheney assessed the requests from each of the branches of the armed services for such expensive programs as the B-2 stealth bomber, the V-22 Osprey tilt-wing helicopter, the Aegis destroyer and the MX missile, totaling approximately $4.5 billion in light of changed world politics. When the 1990 Budget came before Congress in the summer of 1989, it settled on a figure between the Administration''s request and the House Armed Services Committee''s recommendation.
%u2026
Over his four years as Secretary of Defense, Cheney downsized the military and his budgets showed negative real growth, despite pressures to acquire weapon systems advocated by Congress. The Department of Defense''s total obligational authority in current dollars declined from $291 billion to $270 billion. Total military personnel strength decreased by 19 percent, from about 2.2 million in 1989 to about 1.8 million in 1993."

[patriotic9]

terrorislam0
You sound like you don''t like Islamic Radicals, one of whom is OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN.
OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN does not support Homosexual''s right of marriage.
Do you support Osama been forgotten or oppose him?
Osama been forgotten is against Secularism.
Do you support Osama been forgotten or oppose him?
Osama been forgotten is against women''s right to choose Abortion.
Do you support Osama been forgotten or oppose him?

What do you think about the leader of OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN, "JESUS" who opposed HOMOSEXUAL''S RIGHT OF MARRIAGE just like OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN?
What is your opinion about OSAMA''s leader "JESUS", whose bible accused a woman of helping DEVIL in getting a man kicked out of heaven?

[patriotic9]

and if christians or any other group were doing what inbred retarded radical fascist nazi terrorislamic jihadists muslim slavers, murderers and rapists

are doing,,, you would have a point,,,

but since they are not,,, you do not,,,

Posted by terrorislam0 at 03:18 PM : Feb 22, 2008


The worst enemy of United States are those CHRISTIANS who want to sacrifise GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN MONEY, GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN LIVES and UNHOLY LAND "UNITED STATES for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN GOD-CHOSEN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN HOLY LAND.

Why shouldn''t we help Arabs in the destruction of ISRAEL far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY, to enjoy OIL in cheap prices?

Why should we protect ISREAL on Palestinian map, far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY, to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES and GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS?

[myidoncbs]

Terrorislam0: "are doing,,, you would have a point,,,
but since they are not,,, you do not"

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The Christians engaged in a multi-century crusades against the muslims, jews, and other "unbelievers", torturing and slaughtering millions. Even if they were all "pure as the driven snow" now, it wouldn''t matter. Some people hold grudges for a looooong time. As you sow, so shall you reap.

Furthermore, "Christians" ARE doing bad things to them right now! We attacked Iraq for NO SANE REASON and killed over 1 million of their people. This, after having used "sanctions" to kill over a million of their children! We installed military bases in their "holy land", violating their most sacred religious edicts. We gave them (OBL + his merry men) weapons and training to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, then abandoned them to die when our whims dictated it. Those that hate us do so because of what we have done to them, and what we continue to do to them!

I repeat: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." You have failed to learn anything.

[patriotic9]

terrorislam0
If sisns were committed by Adam and Eve, why sinners are those new born children born in sins who can''t even differentiate between what is a sin and what is not a sin, and why the price is paid by a third party free of sins, named JESUS?

[patriotic9]

terrorislam0
If sins were committed by Adam and Eve, why sinners are those new born children born in sins who can''t even differentiate between what is a sin and what is not a sin, and why the price is paid by a third party free of sins, named JESUS?

[patriotic9]

FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM SAYS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATES ISLAM LAW...

LOOK WHO IS TARGETING CIVILIANS!!!
posted by lars008

In damning testimony, a U.S. soldier Thursday told a court-martial he was ordered by his staff sergeant to shoot an unarmed Iraqi man and that the sergeant then laughed and told the trooper to finish the job as the dying man convulsed on the ground.

The military reported, meanwhile, it had opened an investigation of the deaths of five women and four children killed earlier this week in a village south of Baghdad where American forces had carried out ground and air assaults.

You are right lars008 (terrorislam0)

The Christian soldiers killing UNARMED CIVILIANS for bringing TERRORIST LEADER "JESUS" back to this world are FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM. Do you remember the FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM LEADER "JESUS" who said;

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law---a man''s enemies will be the members of his own household%u2019" (Matthew 10:34-36). "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (Matthew 11:12).

[patriotic9]

and if christians or any other group were doing what inbred retarded radical fascist nazi terrorislamic jihadists muslim slavers, murderers and rapists

are doing,,, you would have a point,,,

but since they are not,,, you do not,,,

Posted by terrorislam0 at 03:18 PM : Feb 22, 2008


The worst enemy of United States are those CHRISTIANS who want to sacrifise GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN MONEY, GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN LIVES and UNHOLY LAND "UNITED STATES for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN GOD-CHOSEN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN HOLY LAND.

Why shouldn''''t we help Arabs in the destruction of ISRAEL far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY, to enjoy OIL in cheap prices?

Why should we protect ISREAL on Palestinian map, far away from the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in GERMANY, to buy HATRED, TERRORISM and 9/11 against UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES and GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS?

[patriotic9]

FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM SAYS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATES ISLAM LAW...

LOOK WHO IS TARGETING CIVILIANS!!!
posted by lars008

In damning testimony, a U.S. soldier Thursday told a court-martial he was ordered by his staff sergeant to shoot an unarmed Iraqi man and that the sergeant then laughed and told the trooper to finish the job as the dying man convulsed on the ground.

The military reported, meanwhile, it had opened an investigation of the deaths of five women and four children killed earlier this week in a village south of Baghdad where American forces had carried out ground and air assaults.

You are right lars008 (terrorislam0)

The Christian soldiers killing UNARMED CIVILIANS for bringing TERRORIST LEADER "JESUS" back to this world are FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM. Do you remember the FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM LEADER "JESUS" who said;

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law---a man''s enemies will be the members of his own household%u2019" (Matthew 10:34-36). "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (Matthew 11:12).

[patriotic9]

why does not one muslim majority country grant equal rights to non-muslims???
Posted by terrorislam0 at 04:00 PM : Feb 22, 2008

Why homosexuals citizens of the United States are not allowed to serve their country, unlike the heterosexual citizens?

Why homosexual citizens are not allowed to marry unlike the heterosexual citizens (discrimination based on sexual orientation).
Why shouldn''t we denounce ISLAMIC RADICALS like OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN and JESUS who believed in discrimination based on SEXUAL ORIENTATION and GENDER?

[gonnuts]

There are people in power who deserve to be in a docket at the Hague for putting these soldiers into this position. Everyone that it can be shown lied and caused all this carnage, and that includes media, should be held before the world as war criminals of the worst sort.