Columnist Shapiro falsely smears Obama nominee as "alleged former spy for Fidel Castro"

[Judi Lynn]

Columnist Shapiro falsely smears Obama nominee as "alleged former spy for Fidel Castro"
December 16, 2009 1:25 pm ET —

In a smear piece attacking the National Council of La Raza, columnist Ben Shapiro falsely described Mari Del Carmen Aponte, a former board member of the group whom President Obama nominated to be U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, as "an alleged former spy for Fidel Castro." In fact, the FBI reportedly cleared Aponte of allegations that she had been recruited as a Cuban spy.

FBI reportedly debunked Shapiro-forwarded claim Aponte was a "former spy for Fidel Castro"
From Shapiro's December 16 syndicated column:

If you were president of the United States, would you hire an alleged former spy for Fidel Castro to be ambassador to El Salvador, a country teetering on the brink of hard-core socialism? President Obama just did.

On Dec. 9, Obama nominated Mari Del Carmen Aponte to be ambassador to El Salvador, despite the fact that in the late 1990s, the FBI discovered that she was working with Cuban intelligence officers. According to Insight Magazine, "When the FBI eventually questioned her about her involvement with Cuban intelligence, she reportedly refused to cooperate."

Why would Aponte escape the Obama administration's scrutiny? Because she is a former board member of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the United States, with 300 affiliated community-based organizations, many of which run like local ACORN offices.

But the FBI cleared Aponte of "rumors" of Cuban recruitment. A February 12, 1999, Miami Herald article stated that President Clinton had nominated Aponte to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic in 1998, but she withdrew her nomination after she became "entangled in rumors that Cuban spies once tried to recruit her" and "the spy tale began circulating in Washington gossip circles." The article reported that "the FBI has cleared" Aponte of the allegation, which was first forwarded by a Cuban defector "without offering any evidence" to support it. From the article:

The FBI has cleared a former White House volunteer entangled in rumors that Cuban spies once tried to recruit her, and President Clinton will nominate her to a top government job, officials say.

"The agents who vet people's backgrounds gave her a clean bill of health," White House National Security Council spokesman Bob Nash said of Washington lawyer Mari Carmen Aponte.

Clinton had nominated Aponte as ambassador to the Dominican Republic last year but she withdrew Oct. 25, citing "personal reasons," after the spy tale began circulating in Washington gossip circles.

More:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200912160019?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mediamatters%2Flatest+%28Media+Matters+-+Latest+Items%29

http://multimedia.premierespeakers.com.nyud.net:8090/speaker/120x120/12432.jpg http://www.worldmag.com.nyud.net:8090/images/content/shapiro.jpg http://media.cnsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/headshots/3523.jpg

Good god almighty, has someone lost an unbearable brat, or is this "columnist" Ben Shapiro?

http://baitulmawaddah.byethost6.com.nyud.net:8090/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/tantrum.jpg

He has learned to translate his tantrums into speech.

[Downwinder]

1. How about deformation of character?

[Peace Patriot]

2. Obama's appointments in Latin America, and his failure to replace Bushwhack appointees,

are bad enough. We don't need this fascist crapola making things worse.

[Mika]

3. Maybe Braulio heard it from somebody?

Some people say. What more do you need Judi Lynn! I mean.. fer gawds sake.. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

Your need for accuracy in regards to reported taint by/of/for any association w/Cuba or the evil Dr Castro is irksome. ;) ;)


(I don't need this, do I? Just in case .. :sarcasm: )

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