Veteran Con Man Smears John Kerry

[JPZenger]

Ted Sampley has become a prominent critic of John Kerry through "Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry." Unfortunately, he has been quoted on the front page of the New York Times and other newspapers.

Here's Senator John McCain's recent press release on Sampley:

"I strongly caution reporters who may be contacted by or are interested in Mr. Ted Sampley and the various organizations he claims to represent, and his opinions on the subject of Senator Kerry, or any subject for that matter, to investigate thoroughly Mr. Sampley's background and history of spreading outrageous slander and other disreputable behavior before inadvertently lending him or his allegations any credibility."

"I am well familiar with Mr. Sampley, and I know him to be one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. I consider him a fraud who preys on the hopes of family members of missing servicemen for his own profit. He is dishonorable, an enemy of the truth, and despite his claims, he does not speak for or represent the views of all but a few veterans. The many veterans I know would think it a disgrace to be considered a comrade or supporter of Ted Sampley."
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Sampley's attempt to con families of men who were missing in action in Vietnam were exposed by Susan Katz Keating in her book "Prisoners of Hope: Exploiting the POW-MIA Myth in America." Here is another statement by John McCain about Ted Sampley that references that book:

"Mrs. Keating puzzles over the perverse pride Mr. Sampley takes in his work, which included torturing the family of an American POW in Iraq with fabricated details of his cruel death at the hands of an Iraqi mob. When the pilot was subsequently freed alive, Mr. Sampley dismissed his fraud as necessary to publicize the plight of POWs. Mr. Sampley excuses all his scams as necessary to advance a noble cause. Mrs. Keating reveals that his likely real motive is more mundane: money. She notes his earnings from his T-shirt concession located near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial were nearly $2 million over three years." John McCain, Washington Times, 12/10/94

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Here's more about this con man's background.

http://www.independentsforkerry.org/uploads/media/vvajk.html

[Turbineguy]

1. This Sampley sounds just like

the kind of guy to support Bush, in fact, he should be working inside the Whitehouse!

[gristy]

2. Please provide a link

I do not see any press release from McCain on this subject in the past 4 months: http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Newscenter.PRList

March 2004
03/18/04 - McCain, Kyl Announce Luke Land Acquisition Plan
03/12/04 - McCain, Kyl Urge Strong Federal Presence at Border
03/10/04 - Statement of Senator John McCain to the Senate Committee on Rules Regarding 527's
03/02/04 - McCain Hails Senate Vote on Closing the Gun Show Loophole
February 2004
02/06/04 - McCain Statement on Commission Selection
January 2004
01/22/04 - Statement of Senator John McCain on the FY '04 Omnibus
01/07/04 - Immigration Reform ?A Matter of Life and Death?
December 2003
12/12/03 - Senators Urge Decision on Disposition of Guantanamo Detainees
12/10/03 - Landmark Victory for Reform
November 2003
11/24/03 - Legislation Passes Supporting Udall Environmental Institute in Arizona
11/24/03 - Statement of Senator John McCain on the Medicare Conference Report
11/21/03 - Presidential Campaign Funding Reform Bill Introduced
11/21/03 - McCain, Lieberman Urge Suspension of Russia G-8 Membership
11/21/03 - STATEMENT OF SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN ON THE ENERGY BILL
11/19/03 - STATEMENT OF SENATOR MCCAIN ON THE ENERGY BILL

[TahitiNut]

5. Also quoted in The Free Press (Kinston, NC)

His detractors have called him every name in the book. They say he's a liar, a fraud, and, to hear Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, tell it, "one of the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to encounter."
http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=18039&Section=Local

[underpants]

7. McCain restraining order against Sampley (weird conspiracy theory)

Somebody posted the weird story of Sampley just after he was on Hannity's radio show a few weeks ago. Even Hannity was arguing (Mr.Pro that he is) with Sampley's claim that Kerry's medals weren't "real".

Sorry no link from memory

Sampley spread oil onto a interstate on ramp in the DC area (I think) to protest POW/MIA's not being paid attention to

He married the daughter of a POW, basically he married to justify his role in the cause.

Sampley seems to think that McCain is "The mole" of communsit infiltration conspiracy fame. Seems that McCain was once being interviewed by a Cuban journalist who was having a hard time translating McCain's answers and since McCain attended Spain's Naval College and could speak Spanish well enough to help out the guy. This was part of the "proof" Sampley offers as well as the mention of a "senior Naval officer" being made in the debriefing of a former Soviet spy who said THEY had a mole in the pentagon, Sampley ties this in with McCain stay in the Hanoi Hilton and that he was recruited and brainwashed-real MAnchurian candidate stuff.

McCain issued a press release saying that Sampley was the worst person he had ever met and that reporters should consider the source when citing anything he says. He also took out a restraining order against Sampley.

[TahitiNut]

3. The PhotoShopped pic of Kerry/Fonda was apparently Sampley's work.

:shrug: Here's to seeing him, if guilty, appropriately punished. It was his website where it apparently first appeared.

[Robin Hood]

6. Figures that freepers would operate this way.

They are cruel and immature like devilish children.

[kaitykaity]

4. I've been innundated by a "Veterans against Kerry"

campaign from my favorite wingNut, so thanks for this blanket rebuttal. I sent him "any more Veterans against Kerry postings will be deleted unread."

:thumbsup: