Posted on 10/20/2002 9:59:15 PM PDT by kattracks
A Democratic Party political operative who worked for eight years as an advance man for Hillary Clinton has revealed that he routinely employed "goon squads" to intimidate protesters and quash anti-Clinton demonstrations.
"Less genteel souls sometimes referred to them as goon squads," writes Patrick Halley in his new book "On the Road with Hillary." "But I objected to that term. I was proud of the fact that not one of them had ever been arrested," he boasts.
Halley said he prefers the term "etiquette squad" to describe the Clinton goon squads, but he admitted "they could certainly be intimidating if the occasion called for it."
"The make-up of the etiquette squad differed from event to event, and I always found it best to use folks who were indigenous," he explained. "After all, you wouldn't want to send a team of broad-shouldered teamsters into an event at a women's college."
Halley revealed that whenever an anti-Hillary protest looked likely, he'd "sprinkle" the Clinton goons throughout the crowd "so there was always someone able to respond quickly."
The Clinton campaign "never advocated physical confrontation and always insisted that the etiquette squad stay within the boundaries of the law," he claimed.
But in the next breath Halley confessed, "Sadly, but inevitably, things sometimes got a little frisky, but my recruits knew how to handle themselves."
The Clinton operative recalled that one etiquette squad "had come from the longshoreman's union, and I had heard rumors that they had been very adamant about defending themselves when set upon by protesters."
Rumors of Clinton operatives roughing up both reporters and protesters during Hillary's 2000 Senate campaign were legion, but the mainstream press declined to cover the assaults.
One such altercation took place as Mrs. Clinton marched in New York's St. Patrick's Day parade during the campaign. The scene was described moments later by Metro Network News reporter Glenn Schuck, who assumed that rogue Secret Service agents had been responsible for the thug-like tactics:
"Secret Service agents literally are pushing press to the ground. They just lost their minds, in my opinion," Schuck told WABC Radio's Sean Hannity.
"I mean they just started pushing and shoving; female camera people five feet tall were getting thrown to the ground, cameras flying. Myself, I was grabbed by the shoulder, I was thrown back over. I think somebody from Channel 11 landed on my back. From that point it really didn't get any better."
A few days after Schuck's report, a caller to WOR Radio's Bob Grant Show reported that she and her family were also accosted by the Clinton goons along the parade route.
Caller "Maureen" reported that her family had been booing Mrs. Clinton as she marched along when "they were surrounded by men in trench coats with radios." She quoted the men as saying that they "did not have the right" to heckle, before ordering, "We think you should stop this now."
The goon squad tactics described by Mr. Halley were apparently also practiced by Mr. Clinton's advance team. During an October 1998 protest of the then-president's visit to Philadelphia, demonstrators were set upon by goons wearing T-shirts bearing the message "Teamsters for Clinton."
Philadelphia-native Don Adams was beaten severely during the confrontation and later filed suit against city officials.
Before the revelation in Halley's book, no one previously associated with the Clinton White House had ever admitted using goon squads to stifle free speech.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Like most attorneys, she genuinely believes that she is above the law, that laws do not apply to her, and that she can misuse and abuse others without the slightest guilt. This is the definition of a severe disorder in character.
Hitlery doesn't need to read. She channels.
Case in point?
There was never any coverage of Hillary's thugs at any point in her campaign for Senator. In fact there was never a direct question from the media on any issue during her campaign that was not totally staged!
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