Posted on 10/05/2005 5:45:33 PM PDT by proud_yank
Filmmaker sues Kerry over documentary
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 Posted at 6:14 PM EDT
Associated Press
Philadelphia — A filmmaker has sued Senator John Kerry and a onetime campaign aide, saying they defamed him as they sought to block the broadcast of an anti-Kerry documentary during the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
The lawsuit, filed this week on behalf of producer Carlton Sherwood and a Vietnam veterans group, is the latest salvo in the battle over the documentary Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.
The film contends that Kerry's antiwar activities when he returned from Vietnam caused further harm to captured U.S. soldiers.
The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which as of last year owned 62 TV stations that reached a quarter of all U.S. households, cancelled plans to air the documentary during the razor-close Bush-Kerry race last fall and instead showed only portions of it as part of a broader program.
The Democratic National Committee had complained that Stolen Honor amounted to an illegal in-kind contribution to President Bush's campaign, and Kerry's campaign asked for equal time.
Sherwood's suit alleges that Kerry directed the DNC to issue a statement that falsely said the film was produced and funded by “extreme right-wing activists.”
The film was funded only by Vietnam veterans from Pennsylvania, according to Sherwood, a Harrisburg resident who served in Vietnam. He and a combat veterans group called the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation filed the federal suit in Philadelphia on Monday.
The suit charges that Anthony Podesta, who ran Kerry's campaign in Pennsylvania, called Sherwood “a disgraced journalist” and “Bush hack” in a widely circulated e-mail.
A Kerry spokesman suggested the suit was designed as a fundraising tool for the veterans foundation and others.
“This is simply more of the same smears and sleaze against a decorated Vietnam veteran from more of the same serial liars who disgraced themselves in 2004,” spokesman David Wade said.
“It's too bad the truth doesn't matter to the right wing when there's a chance to fundraise based on outright falsehood and slander,” he said.
Podesta did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
In July, the Federal Elections Commission rejected a complaint filed by the DNC, ruling that Baltimore-based Sinclair had not violated federal election law by running parts of the documentary.
I read some of Kerry's book 'Tour of Duty'. Kind of funny how it lept around. He started off explaining how 'out of the loop' and underpriviledged he felt when he was at school. 'My folks only had a 45' sailboat, but others had 60' boats' kind of garbage.
For the decorated war vet, it was odd how long it took him to get into the war details. The really interesting thing was, when he got into the war 'details', he started off by saying that the Navy gave out medals (particularly purple hearts) for just about everything. Why he would even put that in there is beyond me? That was the basis of his campaign how great a war hero he was.
Funny.
You know, that campaign strategy didn't do Bob Dole a lick of good either, and Dole was a war hero.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
"Both very cruel, and very unusual"
Recidivism would be 0%, I'd bet. :-)
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