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Missy Kelly's Analysis of Mysterious Commerce Death
Whitewater Bulletin Board on the Prodigy Network
1997
Missy Kelly
NOTE: Missy Kelly is a regular poster to the Whitewater Bulletin Board on the Prodigy Network. She is not a "professional" reporter but her work often surpasses that of so-called professionals who are content to rewrite wire stories and take the party line from the beltway elite.
For some background to this analysis, here is the original AP wire story concerning the mysterious death of a Commerce Department worker that occured over Thanksgiving weekend.
Police Investigating Death at Commerce Department
November 29, 1996 9.58 am EST (1458 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Police were investigating the death of a woman whose body was found today in an office at the Commerce Department.
Anne Luzzatto, press secretary for Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor, said the woman's body was found this morning by a Commerce Department employee, who notified security personnel in the building. "It is my understanding that someone found the body in an office on the fourth floor,'' Luzzatto said.
She said that District of Columbia police were conducting an investigation but that she had no details on a cause of death. The woman's name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.
1996 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
FOX News Network 1996. All rights reserved.
END OF REPORT
Beginning of Missy Kelly's Analysis
On Friday morning at 7:45 AM, Clinton suddenly, and unexpectedly, returns to WH from Camp David that same AM, and yet is back on links at Camp David by afternoon.
Compare this UPI story to the report on the AP that follows:
Clinton Reviewing Inaugural Plans
By Helen Thomas
29-NOV-1996 14:29
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- President Clinton briefly interrupted his Thanksgiving holiday weekend at Camp David Friday with a quick trip to the White House to gather data he wants to study in planning his second inauguration and then returned to the mountaintop retreat.
The president returned to the Executive Mansion with his wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea, 16. Along with him was Hollywood producer Harry Thomasson, who with his wife Linda Bloodworth Thomasson, a prominent sitcom writer, spent Thanksgiving Day with the Clinton clan at the mountaintop retreat.
Clinton conferred with Thomasson in the Oval Office on his return and discussed preliminary plans for the inaugural on Jan. 20, including choosing a poem he will have read at his second swearing in as president.
The Thomassons played a prominent role in writing the script for his first inauguration in 1993.
The president, still suffering from a raspy voice, and ordered by his doctor to rest his vocal chords, carried a briefcase as he strolled to the waiting helicopter to return to Camp David. He wore a leather jacket and was followed by an aide carrying a huge box of inaugural papers.
But before plunging into further study, Clinton arranged to take time out to play golf with Hillary's brothers at a course near Camp David.
The first lady and Chelsea did not return to the presidential hideaway with him. Mrs. Clinton had the Christmas decoration of the White House to supervise as it got underway Friday and Chelsea had to attend a rehearsal for her performance in the Washington Ballet's annual Christmas performance of "The Nutcracker Suite."
In addition, an aide said Mrs. Clinton had to prepare for her trip to Bolivia Monday afternoon where she will attend the annual meeting of the first ladies of the Americas. Before she departs, she will host a press preview of the White House Christmas decorations.
The president arranged to deliver his weekly Saturday radio address from Camp David. White House press secretary Mike McCurry said the subject would be: "Thanksgiving."
Clinton plans to return to the White House on Sunday, and will face a busy week ahead as he makes important decisions on the make up of his next national security team.
Clinton took a binder of recommendations with him to Camp David on possible Cabinet appointments prepared by his transition team. Most of the interest centered on who he would pick to succeed Secretary of State Warren Christopher who is leaving the Cabinet.
The president wants to have his chief diplomatic and military advisers on deck before Christmas, and the entire new Cabinet selected by Inauguration Day.
On the social side, next week the President and Mrs. Clinton will begin a series of nightly Christmas parties leading up to the holiday. The Clintons, in keeping with tradition, will spend Christmas in the White House.
END OF UPI REPORT
Clinton Enjoys A Round Of Golf
5:36 PM (ET) 11/29
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Scaring a pondful of ducks, President Clinton enjoyed an afternoon of golf with family members on Friday after returning briefly to the White House to work on the program of his second inaugural. Midway through 18 holes, the president splashed two balls into a small lake between the green and the rough, scattering a flotilla ducks.
The ducks settled down and so did the president. After one more errant shot, he landed his ball on the green, drawing applause from club house onlookers at the Black Rock Golf Club.
The president, just returned from a trip to Asia that included a state visit to Australia, wore an Australian-style "Crocodile Dundee" hat, charcoal gray pants and a blue sweatshirt.
It was an all-in-the-family affair. The president's partners included his stepfather, Dick Kelley; his brother, Roger Clinton; and his two brothers-in-law, Hugh and Tony Rodham.
The president drove his own golf cart.
On Friday morning, Clinton unexpectedly left Camp David in the Catoctin Mountains of western Maryland, where he and his extended family had enjoyed Thanksgiving, to return to the White House.
One purpose for the helicopter ride: The president wanted to give first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, a ride to town to attend a ballet event.
But White House press secretary Mike McCurry said the president also spent time in the Oval Office with television producer Harry Thomason discussing the themes and program of his second inaugural.
"The inaugural committee wants to send the program to the printers as early as possible next week," McCurry said.
Clinton also picked up some volumes of poetry not available to him at Camp David, McCurry said, adding that the president wants to review them before announcing the name of the poet expected to be included in the Jan. 20 ceremony at the Capitol.
When Clinton was inaugurated four years ago, poet Maya Angelou read from her work.
END OF AP REPORT
Missy's Analysis of Situation - Death at Commerce
The partially nude body of Barbara Alice Wise, 48, was found at 7:45 AM in her LOCKED fourth floor office at the Commerce Department, Friday morning, Nov. 29, 1996.
Ms. Wise worked in Commerce's INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, known as ITA.
The DOA showed up in the same department that Huang and Yee were both associated with when they worked at Commerce. Interesting.
What's almost as interesting is the fact that this Death at Commerce has NOT been widely reported. I have waited for nearly a week now, but nada, nothing, zilch, zip.
So...Maybe they didn't catch it?
Lets look at this story as it played out in the press. The stories, in their full glory are attached:
9:58 AM Friday The story breaks: A dead body, female, is found on the fourth floor of Commerce, by a colleague. Colleague, un-named. The District of Columbia Police are conducting the investigation. No name [pending notification of relatives], no details.
12:01 Friday Reuters: Body found in deceased's office, where the International Trade Administration has offices. Cause of death not yet determined. Police say the city's medical examiner would perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death. Case being investigated by Homicide branch.
Woman last seen alive Wednesday at 4 PM. Commerce building was closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving.
1:23 PM Friday AP reports the body was found at 7:45 AM that morning. The woman, still unidentified, had worked for Commerce for 14 years, in the department's International Trade Administration.
"She specialized in trade development, working in the unit that provided analysis of various industries." No details on the cause of death. "Police also would immediately release few details."
1:39 PM Friday AP reports President Clinton flew to the White House today, from Camp David where he'd spent Thanksgiving. Clinton had already returned [by 1:39 PM] to western Maryland for a round of golf. He spent less than two hours at WH, one them with Harry Thomasson.
Why the unexpected, unscheduled, sudden trip to the White House? Why the meeting with Thomasson...and the rush to meet with him?
[Clinton] spent an hour in the Oval Office with television producer Harry Thomasson discussing the themes and program of his second inaugural, said White House press secretary Mike McCurry.
"The inaugural committee wants to send the program to the printers as early as possible next week," McCurry said.
Clinton also picked up some volumes of poetry not available to him at Camp David, McCurry said, adding that the president wants to review them before announcing the name of the poet expected to be included in the Jan. 20 ceremony at the Capitol.
McCurry said the president also wanted to give first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, a ride to town to attend a ballet event.
Completing his less than two-hour stop, Clinton returned to Camp David, also by helicopter.
He was to play golf at a course near Hagerstown, Md., with his stepfather, Dick Kelley, and his wife's two brothers, Hugh and Tony Rodham.
This story...from AP and the WH...infers that Bill came to the WH to meet with Thomasson to finalize some inauguration plans that needed to get to the "printers". We all know that the small fry GO TO THE PRESIDENT, not the other way around. Thomasson would have flown to the prez. Further, the PRESIDENT doesn't run back to the White House to pick up "poetry books". He SENDS people back to pick up poetry books. And we all know what a devoted husband and father Bill is ... wasn't it sweet of him to give Chelsea and Hillary a "lift back to town"? Must have been an early "ballet event"...
Notice the time that BC arrived is not stated, but we do know he was gone by the time this story was reported: 1:39 PM. He was there for 2 hours. That means he was in DC no later than 11:30 AM, possibly earlier.
2:29 PM Friday UPI Report Just in case you didn't buy the above excuses for Bill's sudden appearance at the White House, how about these from UPI excerpts:
1] a quick trip to the White House to gather data he wants to study in planning his second inauguration
2] Mrs. Clinton had the Christmas decoration of the White House to supervise as it got underway Friday and Chelsea had to attend a rehearsal for her performance in the Washington Ballet's annual Christmas performance of "The Nutcracker Suite."
3] In addition, an aide said Mrs. Clinton had to prepare for her trip to Bolivia Monday afternoon where she will attend the annual meeting of the first ladies of the Americas. Before she departs, she will host a press preview of the White House Christmas decorations.
Now the DISINFORMATION/SPIN is starting to become very clear. Not only the lame excuses as to Clinton's sudden quick trip to the White House, but regarding Clinton's visit with Thomasson.
Quickly let me chat about Hillary coming back to oversee the decorating. Gary Aldrich wrote about the 1994 White House Christmas decorating, in his book "Unlimited Access", p. 103. He said he was "surprised" to hear that the First Family was at the White House when the decorating was going on. "They had not gone to Camp David, as was tradition - that way, the decorating could go on undisturbed and they could be surprised when they returned for the great unveiling." Hillary has never taken an interest in decorating the White House before. Did she really take an interest this year? Did Aldrich "make her do it"?
But more importantly, contrary to the AP article above, which inferred that Bill came to the WH to MEET with Thomasson, it turns out Thomasson and Clinton had been together for days:
The president returned to the Executive Mansion with his wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea, 16. Along with him was Hollywood producer Harry Thomasson, who with his wife Linda Bloodworth Thomasson, a prominent sitcom writer, spent Thanksgiving Day with the Clinton clan at the mountaintop retreat.Clinton conferred with Thomasson in the Oval Office on his return and discussed preliminary plans for the inaugural on Jan. 20, including choosing a poem he will have read at his second swearing in as president.
Thomasson and Bill Did NOT HAVE to meet at the White House. They were together all along. They could have had their meeting at Camp David. If they needed info, they'd have sent a lackey. Clearly, this "meeting" was an EXCUSE for the sudden return to DC. Clearly, the real reason for Clinton's sudden trip to the White House was NOT BEING TOLD.
And there is more weirdness:
"The president... carried a briefcase as he strolled to the waiting helicopter to return to Camp David. He wore a leather jacket and was followed by an aide carrying a huge box of inaugural papers."
Okay. Put on your thinking cap. When have you EVER seen ANY President CARRYING ANYTHING as the get into or out of the Presidential helicopter...? Seriously...WHEN HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PRESIDENT CARRYING ANYTHING? [I believe it is against security rules for the president to be encumbered in such a fashion. That's why others carry everything.]
5:21 PM Friday [AP]
This is critical!
The AP STILL says: "The name of the 48-year-old woman was being withheld pending notification of relatives."
In itself, this means nothing.
But then you have THIS BOMBSHELL:
"District of Columbia police spokesman J C Stamps said that an autopsy was being performed."
The DOA's relatives have NOT been informed YET the body is already on the table being autopsied.
Not only did the autopsy start BEFORE the relatives had been informed of the DOA's death, but the autopsy started less than 10 HOURS after the body was found.
The last time I saw an autopsy done so quickly was in the death of Vincent Foster...and it took tremendous pressure EXERTED BY THE WHITE HOUSE. I have read hundreds of pages of testimony regarding the influence of the White House on getting Foster's autopsy bumped to TOP PRIORITY. I submit to you that only White House pressure could account for the fact that this DOA was autopsied even before her name was publicly released.
Just think common sense. There are a lot of DOA's in Washington DC. There is ALWAYS a back log of bodies to be autopsied. NO DOA gets autopsied in less than 10 hours unless someone decides to bump THIS DOA to the top of the list. WHO? WHY? Were the officers of the crime scene present at the autopsy, per standard procedure? Was the autopsy in progress when whoever attended got there? Was there anyone from the DC Police even present at the autopsy? Who performed the autopsy?
Continuing from the AP story:
District of Columbia police spokesman J C Stamps...did not rule out foul play. "We are looking into all possibilities," he said.
A local television station, WRC, quoted unidentified police sources as saying that the office where the body was found was locked and the body was partially nude.
Whoa. A dead body, found partially nude, in a locked office, in the same Commerce Department where Yee and Huang once worked, where documents are being requested and subpoenaed left and right, is being autopsied less than 10 hours after it is found, and before the relatives have been notified.
This is getting VERY interesting. Or is it?
5:36 PM Friday
Apparently it's of no interest at all. To Bill Clinton at least.
Now, another excerpt from AP:
Scaring a pondful of ducks, President Clinton enjoyed an afternoon of golf with family members on Friday after returning briefly to the White House to work on the program of his second inaugural.
But Bill was WITH Harry Thomasson at Camp David... they did NOT have to return to the White House to "work on the program of his second inaugural". Horsepuckey.
This story cracks me up...done for no other reason than to publicly show how relaxed and unconcerned the President was that afternoon...even though a dead body had showed up just hours before in a locked room at Commerce's ITA, the same department that Huang and Yee worked in.
Again, from AP:
Midway through 18 holes, the president splashed two balls into a small lake between the green and the rough, scattering a flotilla ducks.The ducks settled down and so did the president. After one more errant shot, he landed his ball on the green, drawing applause from club house onlookers at the Black Rock Golf Club.
The president... wore an Australian-style "Crocodile Dundee" hat, charcoal gray pants and a blue sweatshirt.
It was an all-in-the-family affair. The president's partners included his stepfather, Dick Kelley; his brother, Roger Clinton; and his two brothers-in-law, Hugh and Tony Rodham.
The president drove his own golf cart.
Just a beautiful picture, isn't it? The close knit- family, golfing, laughing; relaxed, the ducks on wing... So serene.
Except for that 800 lb. gorilla, aka, the DOA, back at Huang's Department at Commerce.
This story has absolutely no value. Why was it written? Why was it posted to the wire service? This is news?
I submit to you it was written to record that Clinton showed no signs of stress about that 800 lb. gorilla. The rest is just re-hash of what was put out hours before.
This story was COVER.
1:30 AM Saturday Morning
Nearly six hours has elapsed since AP's last story on the DOA.
In the wee hours of the morning AP announces the name of the Commerce DOA, one Barbara Alice Wise, 48, of Gambrills, Md.
It is also noted that "the unit where she worked provided analysis for various industries designed to boost export sales."
Again, from AP:
Sgt. Michael Farish, a homicide investigator with District of Columbia police, said officers have found no signs of foul play and believe that she died of natural causes. But the case continued to be investigated as a homicide, he said.A preliminary autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death Friday.
The Police say "no signs of foul play", yet she was found partially naked, in a locked office. And the police say she died of "natural causes" even though the autopsy was UNABLE to determine the cause of death.
Humm. Interesting. What natural causes would that be, that an autopsy can't determine?
No, they tell us: the autopsy didn't determine why she died, partially naked, in a locked room. But it was of natural causes, and there were "no signs of foul play." And it would continue to be investigated as a homicide.
Interesting.
My, What's going to happen next? NOTHING, because THAT WAS THE LAST STORY ON THE DOA AT COMMERCE. [The same story appeared on Prodigy's AP Online with a later timestamp]
To my knowledge, NO NEWS SERVICE HAS DONE A SINGLE STORY ON THIS DEATH SINCE.
In less than 24 hours, this stunning discovery at Commerce, in John Huang's former department is no longer news. This story is DOA.
Comments:
Once they got it on the wires that the body had been autopsied, and it was of natural causes, even with an indeterminate autopsy, well...that's the end of that.
The press says: "Let's talk about Hillary's Press tour of the WH "Nutcracker" decorating theme...."
Why, there weren't even any follow-up stories on Hillary's trip to Bolivia, alluded to in the UPI report at 14:29 hours on Friday.
I would think the First Lady's trip to Bolivia for unknown reasons would be more newsworthy than what Bill wore when he played golf, and that he drove his own damn golf cart. Wouldn't you?
It would appear, at the very least, Ms. Wise worked under Mr. Huang, where he served as the Ass't Deputy Secretary in that section. What was Alice Wise's position under John Huang? How much did they interface in their work? Same questions regarding Ms Yee and Ms. Wise.
Did Wise focus on Asian or European affairs? What did Ms. Wise know? Did she travel on any Commerce trade trips? Did she attend the Nov. 1994 junket to Jakarta? Did Ms. Wise ever interface with Lippo/Riady or their business interests while working at Commerce?
Did Ms. Wise ever receive a subpoena for testimony on information she may have regarding Ron Brown? From either Ron Brown's now-defunct IC, the Justice Dept. who took over the Brown investigation after Brown's death, or Starr? Or any congressional committee? Or Judicial Watch?
What are the answers to the who/what/where/why of Ms. Wise? And why is NO ONE ASKING?
WHY IS THE MEDIA SILENT ABOUT THIS WOMAN'S DEATH?
It also appears quite clear to me that the REAL reason for Bill's sudden and unscheduled visit to the White House is not being shared. Spin, spin, disinformation. Obviously NOT for the reasons the White House put out. National Business that suddenly needed attending to? Then the rest of his staff would have been there.
Were they at the White House to "deal with" the dead body that just showed up at Commerce? If NOT, then why DID Bill Clinton REALLY make this unscheduled urgent trip to the White House...and bring Thomasson along? If Clinton needed a "meeting" as an excuse, you would think he'd pick a better cover than Thomasson whose mere name raises eyebrows...Better that Clinton meet with Mother Theresa. Was Thomasson just "handy" to use as an excuse? But Thomasson was WITH Bill Clinton at Camp David. There was no need to fly to the White House for the meeting.
BUT for the fact that at 7:45 AM that very morning a dead body showed up in the very Commerce Department section, ITA, where Huang and Yee worked when they served there, there is no legitimate reason why Bill suddenly flew into DC on Friday morning.
If the DOA at Commerce was the real reason, and her death relates to the Lippo Affair, consider this:
Most of Bill's contacts and conduits to the Riady's have been exposed. Is Thomasson NOW ACTING as the conduit for information flow between the Riady's and the White House? Did Bill go to the White House to deal with events, and to "gather data" that relates to Lippo/Riady/Huang, and this woman's death? Were these documents what Bill was personally carrying to the helicopter? Are these documents what in the box of "papers" the aide was carrying? Were they removing incriminating documents to Camp David to make them inaccessible to any WH subpoena? If I were issuing a subpoena at this point, I'd surely include any papers at Camp David. You think this is far fetched? Remember that not too long ago, Clinton's COUNSEL, Jack Quinn tried this same ruse to circumvent a WH subpoena by sending the subpoenaed documents TO THE FBI, so Quinn could say, "there are no such documents IN the White House." This is NOT far-fetched with this Clinton White House.
Regarding the query: IS Thomasson now acting as a conduit between the Riady's and the Clintons? I don't know if I sent you this or not, but I have been wondering about Thomasson's company in the Travelgate affair TRM. We know that Huang and Thomasson spoke often on the phone...but we don't know what they talked about. The only role we know for Thomasson is Travelgate, so it naturally brings up the next question: Were Thomasson and Huang talking about Travelgate? If so, what does Huang have to do with it? Well, what if TRM doesn't stand for T=Thomasson, R=Richland M=Martens.
What if the R in TRM really stands for RIADY? Do we know for certain that this Richland dude was THE "R"? Do we know for certain he used his own money? Further, notice this:
From the Arkansas Democrat Gazette [date uncertain, but posted on BB 11/27/96] "Clinton's election focused world's eye on Indonesia deals" by ANDREA HARTER:
[Mark] Grobmyer has said he does not represent himself to the Indonesians as having special access to the White House, but he did gain a rare audience with Suharto in 1993, Arkansas Industrial Development Commission records show. An April 23, 1993, memo written by Harrington to Tucker says, "Grobmyer recently visited Indonesia by invitation of Mr. Mochtar Riady. ... While there, he met with President Suharto." The memo says that a visit to Arkansas by Jakarta's governor was "to reciprocate Mark's visit."Grobmyer said Monday that his visit with Suharto had no connection to state officials or to Clinton. "I was on the international committee for Little Rock with the (Little Rock) Chamber of Commerce, and there was some talk of a commuter airline facility out at the airport. I thought they would be interested in knowing about it. But I never represented the president."
Many fascinating things about this statement! First of all: Why would Riady and Suharto be interested in a "commuter airline facility" out at the airport? They'd be interested if they had a stake in a related business...perhaps TRM? Perhaps even World Wide Travel?
Secondly, if I am not mistaken, Judge David Hale was a BIG dog in the Chamber of Commerce in Little Rock. If I am not mistaken he even held a NATIONAL post in the parent organization. This meeting with Grobmyer and Riady and Suharto took place in April 1993...before Hale's troubles became known. Why doesn't someone ASK David Hale what HE KNOWS about the Lippo connections to ArkAsia?
I have never believed all the reasons thrown out as to the "why" of Travelgate. Why would the WH/Clinton's expose themselves so recklessly, and urgently to get TRM into the Travel office? The urgency is what doesn't fit. And I never bought that it was the money Thomasson could make if he had the office. Thomasson already has money, and how much would one make arranging press trips?
But what if Travelgate is in reality "Lippogate", only in disguise. What if the Riady's and Lippo play a role in TRM, World Wide Travel? Ah, then the possible reasons for the WH actions make a little more sense. It even makes on reconsider the statement that Foster died over Travelgate.
I have tremendous RESPECT for the disinformation that comes out of this White House. They are BRILLIANT. Yet, on this Friday morning, they really blew it big-time. I would suggest to you that they were SO PANICKED that they COULDN'T THINK STRAIGHT. Hence, their terrible job of creating "cover stories" for the urgent, and unexpected stopover at the White House.
End of Investigative Report by Missy Kelly
[END OF TRANSCRIPT]
Washington Times / Metro Section
By Kristan Trugman and Gary Sheets
11/30/96
DC homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 48 year old secretary in the Commerce Department whose NAKED BODY was found yesterday morning in a fourth floor office.
Barbara Alice Wise of Gambrills, MD was last seen alive at 4pm Wednesday at work, police said.
They sent her body to the DC Medical Examiner's Office to determine how she died. A preliminary autopsy indicated no foul play.
Medical Examiners were waiting for the woman's medical history before making a final determination in her death.
Her neighbors in the 900 block of Falls Circle Way described her "as a very sick woman."
'She's at rest now, and she should have some dignity", said Gerie Shenton, Mrs. Wise's next door neighbor for several years. "She was a very good person but she kept to herself."
Mrs. Shenton, who would watch the house when Mrs. Wise went on vacation, said Mrs. Wise had lived in the Gambrills home since 1971.
Gene Gibson, who lived across the street from Mrs. Wise until recently, said Mrs. Wise had "some serious problems." "She was an alcoholic and had been in the hospital a few times for internal bleeding," said Mrs. Gibson.
Law enforcement sources said Mrs. Wise had been known previously to sleep in her office overnight. Bruises on her body were consistent with the ones she could have gotten recently while having bone marrow work performed.
Another neighbor, Pat Borosky, said Mrs. Wise "looked like she was ill last week."
Law enforcement sources said Mrs. Wise had apparently taken off her clothes after defecating on herself. The office door was locked, Commerce officals said.
She reportedly had worked about 14 years for the department's International Trade Administration. She was a secretary in the unit.
Anne Luzzato, press secretary for Commerce Secretary
Mickey Kantor, said Mrs. Wise was found about 8am by an
employee.
[END OF TRANSCRIPT]
From Alamo Girl's Downside Legacy
Barbara Wise
Wise a 14-year Commerce Department employee found dead and partially naked in her office following a long weekend. She worked in the same section as John Huang. Officially, she is said to have died of natural causes. (1)
Barbara Wise Commerce Department staffer Died Nov. 29, 1996 As the scandals continued to swirl around the Commerce Department, and most of all about John Huang, one of Huang's associates, Barbara Wise, was found dead in her locked office at the Department of Commerce, partially nude and covered with bruises. No cause of death has ever been announced. (2)
Barbara Wise - Commerce Department secretary. Worked with Ron Brown and John Huang and had extensive knowledge of their activities. Found dead in her locked office the day after Thanksgiving. It was ruled a suicide. Interestingly, she was found partially clothed, bruised, and in a pool of blood. There was no pool of blood, and Barbara Wise's death was never ruled a suicide by anyone. She was discovered in her Commerce Department office on 29 November 1996 after last being seen alive on 27 November 1996, the day before Thanksgiving. A thorough investigation uncovered no evidence of foul play or suicide. Wise had a history of frequent and severe health problems, including liver ailments. Her death was attributed to natural causes. (3)
Unknown - Barbara Wise (ITA John Huang Associate found dead, nude, in a locked office at Commerce) (4) Source
The Sun (Baltimore) 12/1/96 "……. Foul play has been ruled out as the cause of death of a 48-year-old Anne Arundel County woman, whose body was found Friday in her fourth-floor office at the Department of Commerce in Washington, Washington police said yesterday. The body of Barbara Alice Wise of the 900 block of Fall Circle Way in Gambrills was found about 7: 45 a.m. by a co-worker. ……. Neighbors said yesterday that Wise had been in and out of hospitals throughout the past year for blood transfusions for a liver ailment. Washington Police homicide detectives said yesterday Wise appeared to have died from natural causes. …… "
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution 2/12/97 "……. Barbara Alice Wise, 48, of Gambrills, Md., died of natural causes, as the Journal-Constitution reported in December. An autopsy found that the cause was end-stage liver disease, with alcoholism as a contributing condition. Wise appeared to have been drinking in her office when she died the day before Thanksgiving. Her body was found by a co-worker the day after Thanksgiving. …."
Progressive Review ".Barbara Wise, a Commerce Department (International Trade Administration) secretary and associate of John Huang, is found bruised and partially nude in a locked office at Commerce. Cause of death remains unknown.."
AP 11/29/96 on Barbara Wise "…Police were investigating the death of a woman whose body was found today in an office at the Commerce Department. Anne Luzzatto, press secretary for Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor, said the woman's body was found this morning by a Commerce Department employee, who notified security personnel in the building…."
WorldNetDaily 5/4/99 David Bresnahan "...Barbara Wise worked for Brown, well down the chain of command. She was a secretary and worked in an area of Commerce in which she was well aware of the dealings of Brown, Juang, and others…. Barbara Wise was found dead in her office. She was partially clad and blood was evident when she was found on the floor the day after Thanksgiving. An effort was made by Commerce officials and others to portray her as a drunk and abusive to herself. Police investigated it as a homicide until the sudden claim that her death was by natural causes..."
AP 11/29/96 on Barbara Wise "…Police were investigating the death of a woman whose body was found today in an office at the Commerce Department. Anne Luzzatto, press secretary for Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor, said the woman's body was found this morning by a Commerce Department employee, who notified security personnel in the building…."
11/30/96 AP - A Commerce Department employee was found dead in her fourth-floor office at the agency's downtown headquarters on Friday. The body was discovered around 7:45 a.m. by a co-worker arriving for work, police said. The woman was identified as Barbara Alice Wise, 48, of Gambrills, Md. She had worked as a secretary for 14 years at the department's International Trade Administration. Anne Luzzatto, chief spokeswoman for Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor, said the unit where she worked provided analysis for various industries in studies designed to boost export sales….. A local television station, WRC, quoted unidentified police sources as saying that the office where the body was found was locked and the body was partially nude…."
WorldNetDaily 5/4/99 David Bresnahan "...Barbara Wise worked for Brown, well down the chain of command. She was a secretary and worked in an area of Commerce in which she was well aware of the dealings of Brown, Juang, and others…. Barbara Wise was found dead in her office. She was partially clad and blood was evident when she was found on the floor the day after Thanksgiving. An effort was made by Commerce officials and others to portray her as a drunk and abusive to herself. Police investigated it as a homicide until the sudden claim that her death was by natural causes..."
Missy Kelly's Analysis "…The partially nude body of Barbara Alice Wise, 48, was found at 7:45 AM in her LOCKED fourth floor office at the Commerce Department, Friday morning, Nov. 29, 1996. Ms. Wise worked in Commerce's INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, known as ITA. The DOA showed up in the same department that Huang and Yee were both associated with when they worked at Commerce. Interesting. ….Lets look at this story as it played out in the press…
9:58 AM Friday The story breaks: A dead body, female, is found on the fourth floor of Commerce, by a colleague. Colleague, un-named. The District of Columbia Police are conducting the investigation. No name [pending notification of relatives], no details.
12:01 Friday Reuters: Body found in deceased's office, where the International Trade Administration has offices. Cause of death not yet determined. Police say the city's medical examiner would perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death. Case being investigated by Homicide branch. Woman last seen alive Wednesday at 4 PM. Commerce building was closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving.
1:23 PM Friday AP reports the body was found at 7:45 AM that morning. The woman, still unidentified, had worked for Commerce for 14 years, in the department's International Trade Administration. "She specialized in trade development, working in the unit that provided analysis of various industries." No details on the cause of death. "Police also would immediately release few details."
1:39 PM Friday AP reports President Clinton flew to the White House today, from Camp David where he'd spent Thanksgiving. Clinton had already returned [by 1:39 PM] to western Maryland for a round of golf. He spent less than two hours at WH, one them with Harry Thomasson. ….This story...from AP and the WH...infers that Bill came to the WH to meet with Thomasson to finalize some inauguration plans that needed to get to the "printers". We all know that the small fry GO TO THE PRESIDENT, not the other way around. Thomasson would have flown to the President. ...Notice the time that BC arrived is not stated, but we do know he was gone by the time this story was reported: 1:39 PM. He was there for 2 hours. That means he was in DC no later than 11:30 AM, possibly earlier.
2:29 PM Friday UPI Report Just in case you didn't buy the above excuses for Bill's sudden appearance at the White House, how about these from UPI excerpts: 1] a quick trip to the White House to gather data he wants to study in planning his second inauguration 2] Mrs. Clinton had the Christmas decoration of the White House to supervise as it got underway Friday and Chelsea had to attend a rehearsal for her performance in the Washington Ballet's annual Christmas performance of "The Nutcracker Suite." 3] In addition, an aide said Mrs. Clinton had to prepare for her trip to Bolivia Monday afternoon where she will attend the annual meeting of the first ladies of the Americas. Before she departs, she will host a press preview of the White House Christmas decorations….. But more importantly, contrary to the AP article above, which inferred that Bill came to the WH to MEET with Thomasson, it turns out Thomasson and Clinton had been together for days: The president returned to the Executive Mansion with his wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea, 16. Along with him was Hollywood producer Harry Thomasson, who with his wife Linda Bloodworth Thomasson, a prominent sitcom writer, spent Thanksgiving Day with the Clinton clan at the mountain top retreat….. Thomasson and Bill Did NOT HAVE to meet at the White House. They were together all along. They could have had their meeting at Camp David. If they needed info, they'd have sent a lackey. Clearly, this "meeting" was an EXCUSE for the sudden return to DC. Clearly, the real reason for Clinton's sudden trip to the White House was NOT BEING TOLD. And there is more weirdness: "The president... carried a briefcase as he strolled to the waiting helicopter to return to Camp David. He wore a leather jacket and was followed by an aide carrying a huge box of inaugural papers." Okay. Put on your thinking cap. When have you EVER seen ANY President CARRYING ANYTHING as the get into or out of the Presidential helicopter...? Seriously...WHEN HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PRESIDENT CARRYING ANYTHING? [I believe it is against security rules for the president to be encumbered in such a fashion. That's why others carry everything.]
5:21 PM Friday [AP] This is critical! The AP STILL says: "The name of the 48-year-old woman was being withheld pending notification of relatives." In itself, this means nothing. But then you have THIS BOMBSHELL: "District of Columbia police spokesman J C Stamps said that an autopsy was being performed." The DOA's relatives have NOT been informed YET the body is already on the table being autopsied. Not only did the autopsy start BEFORE the relatives had been informed of the DOA's death, but the autopsy started less 10 HOURS after the body was found….. Just think common sense. There are a lot of DOA's in Washington DC. There is ALWAYS a back log of bodies to be autopsied. NO DOA gets autopsied in less than 10 hours unless someone decides to bump THIS DOA to the top of the list. WHO? WHY? Were the officers of the crime scene present at the autopsy, per standard procedure? Was the autopsy in progress when whoever attended got there? Was there anyone from the DC Police even present at the autopsy? Who performed the autopsy?
Continuing from the AP story: District of Columbia police spokesman J C Stamps...did not rule out foul play. "We are looking into all possibilities," he said. A local television station, WRC, quoted unidentified police sources as saying that the office where the body was found was locked and the body was partially nude. Whoa. A dead body, found partially nude, in a locked office, in the same Commerce Department where Yee and Huang once worked, where documents are being requested and subpoenaed left and right, is being autopsied less than 10 hours after it is found, and before the relatives have been notified.
1:30 AM Saturday Morning Nearly six hours has elapsed since AP's last story on the DOA…… In the wee hours of the morning AP announces the name of the Commerce DOA, one Barbara Alice Wise, 48, of Gambrills, Md. It is also noted that "the unit where she worked provided analysis for various industries designed to boost export sales." Again, from AP: Sgt. Michael Farish, a homicide investigator with District of Columbia police, said officers have found no signs of foul play and believe that she died of natural causes. But the case continued to be investigated as a homicide, he said. A preliminary autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death Friday. The Police say "no signs of foul play", yet she was found partially naked, in a locked office. And the police say she died of "natural causes" even though the autopsy was UNABLE to determine the cause of death. Humm. Interesting. What natural causes would that be, that an autopsy can't determine? No, they tell us: the autopsy didn't determine why she died, partially naked, in a locked room. But it was of natural causes, and there were "no signs of foul play." And it would continue to be investigated as a homicide.
James Hoobler 11/21/96 Wall Street Journal 8 days before Barbara Wise’s death: "… Let me make it perfectly clear that no files have been taken by the CIA or any other agency. All files remain in my custody. In addition, I took custody of the safe and its contents at the request of the SBA's Office of General Counsel, not in response to a subpoena....As for the classified documents, Executive Order 12958, Section 4.2, prohibits disclosure without the authorization of the agency that originally classified the document…."
Paul Rodriguez talks with Larry Klayman on Mary Matalin, August 21, 1997 Freeper Jim Robinson 8/21/97 "…R: Actually since you have raised it for a second time, very briefly, the woman died of alcoholic poisoning and suffocation by her own vomit…..she was allegedly known to be a heavy drinker, had come back to the office very late that night….had begun throwing up and had taken off the blouse to clean up the mess that she was making and then she lost her bowels and was trying to clean up and the scene according to one of the police officers I talked to, it was a very filthy and grotesque and very very sad and that is from the inside of the police information….they think it was very tragic personal situation that happened there though it does beg questions………why was she so upset…..why was she so inebriated perhaps…..she was very close to Ron Brown……was a personal confidant of the former secretary and was under enormous pressures partly because of the Judicial Watch proceedings and partly because of pressures from within the Department of Commerce not to cooperate with ongoing investigations on Capital Hill….a combination of factors could have pushed her over the edge psychologically and then of course tragically…… K: That’s interesting Paul, I am going to have a subpoena served on you in a matter of minutes…..(laughs) R:…..now that’s what I was told……interestingly enough when I have asked for copies of the police report they have been denied. So for clarity and context sake, I only have information from one police source….the official records to this day have not been made public and I think they ought to be because I am now suspect of everything when it comes to the Clinton administration…….. "
Freeper Demidog 9/20/98 "…..Barbara Alice Wise, 48, was found dead on Thanksgiving weekend, 1996, in a locked 4th floor Department of Commerce office. Initial media reports said that the D.C. police were investigating the death as a possible homocide……. This was front page news in my mind but in fact the story was burried almost before it broke……. ……The first wire reports said that Ms. Wise was found "partialy nude" ( according to a Local TV station which sourced an unnamed policeman) in her locked commerce dept. office. Police at this time had not ruled out foul play. Neigbors were interviewed and were quoted as saying that Ms. Wise had been sick for the past 5 months. One neighbor said she had numerous health problems and was a nice woman who kept to herself……… In the second "Capitol" follow up report by reporter Jeff Nelson, Ms. Wise's health problems were upgraded to "severe and frequent including liver ailments" from the previous "been quite sick for the past 4 or 5 months". Also reported in this article was that a preliminary autopsy had been performed, in less than ten hours after the body was found and before her son or ex-husband had been notified, and had not determined a cause of death……."
Freeper Demidog 9/20/98 "…..I found a very brief mention in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution which apparently capped the story. In a column entitled "Q&A in the news", was this bit of information:
"Q: Has there been any determination of the cause of death of the woman who was found dead in her office at the Commerce dept?"
"A: Barbara Alice Wise 48, of Gambrills Md., died of natural causes, as the Journal-Constitution reported in December. An autopsy found that the cause was end-stage liver disease, with alcoholism as a contributing condition. Wise appeared to have been drinking in her office when she died the day before Thanksgiving. Her body was found by a co-worker the day after thanksgiving. The incident attracted an inordinate amount of attention because it occurred inside a federal office building. Wise was a 14-year employee of the International Trade administration, working in a section that helps U.S. companies boost exports."
…..In fact, no autopsy information has actually been reported in the press as far as I can tell. The preliminary autopsy was reported, but after that ( wish I had a Nexus/Lexis account) the story just totally dropped off the planet. And as I later found out, here has never been an official report made available to the public. Sound fishy? Read on. …."
Freeper Demidog 9/20/98 "…..…… The principles (Tuesday Sept 11th, 1997) Talked to the detective who handled the case today, Jerry Sitek. Ms. Wise was found completely nude in an adjacent locked office to her own. Her body was covered with bruises. She was found by a female co-worker on Friday, at 7:45AM when she went to sign in for work. Apparently the office where Ms. Wise was found was actually her Bosses' (he wouldn't give me the bosses name or of the co-worker who found Ms Wise). The "sign-in" book resided there. Wise was slumped over in the middle of the room on the floor. Sitek surmised that Wise had gotten up from where she was sleeping and fallen down dead shortly thereafter. ……. Sometime after 4PM on Wednesday the 27th, Wise had deficated on herself and had apparently neatly folded her soiled pantyhose along with her other clothing except for a sweater. She used the sweater as a blanket while she slept in her locked office. According to detective Sitek, co-workers said she stayed at the office often out of fear of going home, and often drank on the job. While Sitek would not go so far as saying her co-workers were correct, he led me to believe that her son beat her and that was the cause of her fear and bruises. When I asked Detective Sitek how he thought she would be able to get away with such heavy drinking on the job he responded that it happens all the time. A partially depleted 5th of Vodka was found in her purse, and an almost full glass of Vodka was found on a table next to her couch. Mr. Sitek claimed at least 2 causes of death while we talked on the phone:heart attack, and liver failure and some vagueness on other organ failure...(was she tortured?) Detective Sitek told me the bruises were too old to be any factor in the cause of death. …..Problems so far with the tale from Detective Sitek:
How does one drink so heavily that your liver fails and keep a job at Commerce? Perhaps this doesn't speak to any kind of cover-up but to the shoddy Human Resources dept at Commerce...
If one "frequently" sleeps in her office, wouldn't one make sure a blanket and pillow were available? And is sleeping at the office an accepted practice in the Commerce dept?
Wise lived alone ( her son also lived alone). Why would Ms Wise be afraid to go home to an empty house? And on a Thanksgiving weekend?
And if she was so damn sick, wouldn't she have needed a hospital months earlier? I have never seen a picture of Ms Wise but sure would love to see one.
When I asked Detective Sitek whether toxicology from the autopsy supported her heavy drinking, he said that most of the alcohol would dissipate and you wouldn't be able to tell if she was really drunk. I didn't want to argue, but This doesn't make sense to me. I realize that alcohol does in fact evaporate but once the flow of blood stops, the alcohol still in the bloodstream can no longer be carried to the skin through the capilaries. It seems to me that while it might not be totally accurate, a toxicoligy report would at least speak to the veracity of witnesses who claimed she was a drunk. The claim of alcoholism has a certain Blumenthal quality to it doesn't it?
Also, on the matter of the alleged beatings by her son. As soon as Detective Sitek mentioned this, I actually had the presence of mind to mention to him that Troy didn't live with his mother. At this point Detective Sitek just about gave himself whiplash backpeddling. He said, "now we are aware of that and I can't be 100% sure that it really happened but that's what we were told by her co-workers so that's where we assumed the bruises came from. But I'm not gonna say that's where they actually came from." DC's finest are not sure about much are they? At any rate the case according to Detective Sitek is officialy classified as a death of natural causes. It is not being persued at this time. And when I initially called to find out which detective I should be talking to, I was told by Lt. Brown that the case was no longer in the homocide binder. …….. "
Freeper Demidog 9/20/98 "…..….D.C. Coroners office I called the Coroners office on Wednesday the September 10th, 1997. The first thing I was told ( I had to talk to the PR's officer ) was that autopsies are never released to the public. I didn't know this. The relevance of this fact is apparent when you start comparing the statements of reporters who assert results of a document which has never been seen by their own eyes. You must be a member of the family to get the actual report or get permission from a family member. ……. I found out that the there were two Dr's involved in the Autopsy. The examiner was a Dr. Jaardemal. And the supervising examiner was a Dr. Germinac. I'm not sure of the spelling. I was given Dr. Jaardemal's direct phone number and told that Wise's case number was 96-1408. Any specific information would have to be handled by the Doctor. ……. Dr. Jaardemal would not give me detailed information about the results. Natural causes was the finding. Natural causes....I was about to ask her if she knew Fahmy Malak but I stopped myself. According to Dr. Jaardemal:
The bruises on her body were not caused by a beating. The Dr. was emphatic about this. She also did not die of a heart attack. (Strike two for Sitek) But for the life of me I could not get her to tell me what it really was. So perhaps it was liver failure, but as far as I know, you don't just keel over from liver failure. …..Now perhaps they're all just idiots and she really died of a kidney failure and the bruises are from the dialasis (sp?). Only thing is her co-workers would definately know about that, and the beating story wouldn't have held water from the start. She would have had to leave every three days for treatment and the bruises caused are horrendous. So she hid her dialasis treatment from her co-workers by telling them the bruises were from her son beating her? Boy would I like to make contact with her son Troy and her ex-husband. I wonder what they would have to say about this. It sure is interesting that not a single mention of any contact with them is in the press reports. Only Troy is mentioned. And I don't even know If Wise is her married name or her re-assumed maiden name..( Sue me, I'm stupid for not asking Detective Sitek but I was a bit nervous too. I don't need a tax audit :-) I did find an address and phone for a Troy Wise from Baltimore. Phone was connected to a fax. ….."
Freeper Demidog 9/20/98 "…..Mary King Department of Commerce Human Resources. [Barbara Wise] Wise worked under director Chris Christianson in the International Trade Administration. Christianson, according to King is far down the buearocratic food chain from the Secretary. Who shared the office with Wise? "OH I'm not allowed to give out information like that."... Conjecture alert : ……I'm hearing that Wise didn't share a suite with John Huang but with Ira Sockowitz. Remember the guy with "top secret with code-word clearance" who took a box of NSA encryption documents out of the Commerce dept. and stashed them in a safe at the SBA? Perhaps that mysterious box a Presidential aid was seen carrying off of Marine one was that box? ……"
[END OF PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT]
Sonya Stewart Affidavit
"I come forward to present my declaration to this Court with great trepidation and grave concern about retribution and retaliation which may be directed at me, both professionally and personally, as a result of this affidavit,"
Commerce employee found dead
"District of Columbia police spokesman J C Stamps said that an autopsy was being performed. He did not rule out foul play."
A TRAIL OF DEAD COMMERCE EMPLOYEES
"Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will of civil society. It ever has been, and ever will be pursued, until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit."
James Madison, Federalist Paper No.51
Fascism, corruption and my 'Democratic' Party
"Ten years ago, Newsweek magazine shocked mainstream America with a cover story headlined "Thought Police," a lengthy report on a new social/political movement developed on college campuses since the 1960s. Ironically, one year after the Berlin wall came down and one year before the fall of the Soviet Empire, Americans were being seriously warned that liberal academia had adopted a hybrid "Marxist" philosophy often called "PC." This new "Politically Correct" creed was being espoused, according to Newsweek, at hundreds of colleges and universities as a result of the growing influence of "a generation of campus radicals."
Confessions of a Liberal Democrat
Bump
.
By Demidog(Freeper Poster)
September 20, 1998
Barbara Alice Wise, 48, was found dead on Thanksgiving weekend, 1996, in a locked 4th floor Department of Commerce office. Initial media reports said that the D.C. police were investigating the death as a possible homocide. But in a matter of hours, the story simply vanished with little or no explanation regarding the outcome. I learned of the death not through the press but from an online message board on AOL nearly a year after the death had occurred. I followed up was because I was flabbergasted that I hadn't heard about this story in the press. Had I been frequenting freerepublic, I probably would have. I decided to get involved and find out what I could and talk to the D.C. police and coroners office, as well as Commerce to see if I could shed some light on an obviously bizarre situation. This was front page news in my mind but in fact the story was buried almost before it broke.
I beg forgiveness from the reader of this so called report for my lack of expertise in journalism. My intent is to inform . I am posting my raw notes with alot of conjecture thrown in for good measure. No warranties are implied or stated.
Media Coverage: The initial story
the initial wire report (roughly 30 words),
The first wire reports said that Ms. Wise was found "partialy nude" (according to a local TV station which sourced an unnamed policeman) in her locked commerce dept. office. Police at this time had not ruled out foul play.
Neighbors were interviewed and were quoted as saying that Ms. Wise had been sick for the past 5 months. One neighbor said she had numerous health problems and was a nice woman who kept to herself.
In the second "Capitol" follow up report by reporter Jeff Nelson, Ms. Wise's health problems were upgraded to "severe and frequent including liver ailments" from the previous "been quite sick for the past 4 or 5 months". Also reported in this article was that a preliminary autopsy had been performed, in less than ten hours after the body was found and before her son or ex-husband had been notified, and had not determined a cause of death.
I found a very brief mention in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution which apparently capped the story. In a column entitled "Q&A in the news", was this bit of information:
"Q: Has there been any determination of the cause of death of the woman who
was found dead in her office at the Commerce dept?"
"A: Barbara Alice Wise 48, of Gambrills Md., died of natural causes, as the
Journal-Constitution reported in December. An autopsy found that the cause was
end-stage liver disease, with alcoholism as a contributing condition. Wise
appeared to have been drinking in her office when she died the day before
Thanksgiving. Her body was found by a co-worker the day after thanksgiving.
The incident attracted an inordinate amount of attention because it occurred
inside a federal office building. Wise was a 14-year employee of the
International Trade administration, working in a section that helps U.S.
companies boost exports."
To me that little excerpt is telling. Then if you compare the answer to the second Capitol story, it becomes obvious that they either:
Actually [? some text seems to be missing here] ran a story which wasn't kept in their own on-line archives, and that story would have stated facts never released...See they are the only newspaper I can find who claims that there was a "final" or "official" autopsy.
In fact, no autopsy information has actually been reported in the press as far as I can tell. The preliminary autopsy was reported, but after that (wish I had a Nexus/Lexis account) the story just totally dropped off the planet. And as I later found out, there has never been an official report made available to the public. Sound fishy? Read on.
The principals (Tuesday Sept 11th, 1997) Wise was slumped over in the middle of the room on the floor. Sitek surmised that Wise had gotten up from where she was sleeping and fallen down dead shortly thereafter.
Sometime after 4PM on Wednesday the 27th, Wise had deficated on herself and had apparently neatly folded her soiled pantyhose along with her other clothing except for a sweater. She used the sweater as a blanket while she slept in her locked office. According to Detective Sitek, co-workers said she stayed at the office often out of fear of going home, and often drank on the job. While Sitek would not go so far as saying her co-workers were correct, he led me to believe that her son beat her and that was the cause of her fear and bruises. When I asked Detective Sitek how he thought she would be able to get away with such heavy drinking on the job he responded that it happens all the time. A partially depleted 5th of Vodka was found in her purse, and an almost full glass of Vodka was found on a table next to her couch. Mr. Sitek claimed at least 2 causes of death while we talked on the phone: heart attack, and liver failure and some vagueness on other organ failure...(was she tortured?) Detective Sitek told me the bruises were too old to be any factor in the cause of death.
Problems so far with the tale from Detective Sitek:
When I asked Detective Sitek whether toxicology from the autopsy supported her heavy drinking, he said that most of the alcohol would dissipate and you wouldn't be able to tell if she was really drunk. I didn't want to argue, but This doesn't make sense to me. I realize that alcohol does in fact evaporate but once the flow of blood stops, the alcohol still in the bloodstream can no longer be carried to the skin through the capilaries. It seems to me that while it might not be totally accurate, a toxicoligy report would at least speak to the veracity of witnesses who claimed she was a drunk. The claim of alcoholism has a certain Blumenthal quality to it doesn't it?
Also, on the matter of the alleged beatings by her son. As soon as Detective Sitek mentioned this, I actually had the presence of mind to mention to him that Troy didn't live with his mother. At this point Detective Sitek just about gave himself whiplash backpeddling. He said, "now we are aware of that and I can't be 100% sure that it really happened but that's what we were told by her co-workers so that's where we assumed the bruises came from. But I'm not gonna say that's where they actually came from."
DC's finest are not sure about much are they? At any rate the case according to Detective Sitek is officialy classified as a death of natural causes. It is not being persued at this time. And when I initially called to find out which detective I should be talking to, I was told by Lt. Brown that the case was no longer in the homocide binder.
D.C. Coroners office The relevance of this fact is apparent when you start comparing the statements of reporters who assert results of a document which has never been seen by their own eyes. You must be a member of the family to get the actual report or get permission from a family member.
I found out that the there were two Dr's involved in the Autopsy. The examiner was a Dr. Jaardemal. And the supervising examiner was a Dr. Germinac. I'm not sure of the spelling. I was given Dr. Jaardemal's direct phone number and told that Wise's case number was 96-1408. Any specific information would have to be handled by the Doctor.
Dr. Jaardemal would not give me detailed information about the results. Natural causes was the finding. Natural causes....I was about to ask her if she knew Fahmy Malak but I stopped myself.
According to Dr. Jaardemal:
Now perhaps they're all just idiots and she really died of kidney failure and the bruises are from the dialasis (sp?). Only thing is her co-workers would definately know about that, and the beating story wouldn't have held water from the start. She would have had to leave every three days for treatment and the bruises caused are horrendous. So she hid her dialasis treatment from her co-workers by telling them the bruises were from her son beating her? Boy would I like to make contact with her son Troy and her ex-husband. I wonder what they would have to say about this. It sure is interesting that not a single mention of any contact with them is in the press reports. Only Troy is mentioned. And I don't even know If Wise is her married name or her re-assumed maiden name..( Sue me, I'm stupid for not asking Detective Sitek but I was a bit nervous too. I don't need a tax audit :-) I did find an address and phone for a Troy Wise from Baltimore. Phone was connected to a fax.
Mary King Department of Commerce Human Resources Buck buck buck buck...
Conjecture alert
The relevance of the defecation incident is not lost on me. It almost always occurs in cases of torture. From what I understand it can also occur in strangulation. Either way, I find it absurd that somebody with "end-stage liver desease", deficates on herself, strips naked and pours a straight-up Vodka before turning in at the Motel Commerce.... Oh yes and she used her sweater as a blanket.
If it were I, and this was a situation where I was losing control of my bodily functions, I'd be calling an ambulance, not fixing a drink. And if by some odd chance I did decide to sleep at work under such conditions, I wouldn't leave my reeking shit-filled pantyhose folded on top of my clean clothes. I would have discreetly walked to a bathroom, removed the soiled article of clothing, washed myself, put my clean clothes back on, disposed of the pantyhose (bottom of a bathroom trash can) and come back to my office. Or perhaps driven home hoping nobody noticed that I left a pile of crap-filled underwear in the office bathroom trash can.
There is something horribly wrong with the picture painted by the DC detective and the press. It does not add up to anything one could consider rational human behavior.
On the other hand, if Wise was the victim of torture in her office, the killer or killers sure did leave a big mess. It would be awfully risky to perform torture in her office. And if she had defecated and died, why strip off her clothes? And why leave her in the middle of the office floor, and place her clothes elsewhere? I can't even imagine a scenario where this would be necessary.
Unless, you were totally confident that you could influence the outcome of any subsequent investigation. If this was indeed foul play, the killers had no fear of getting caught. They knew already that it would be no problem to cover-up their work. Or possibly their screw-up. "Oh shit! She's dead!"
Her body was found Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) by a co-worker. Could it be that the co-worker was sent to "discover" the body before somebody else could? Such as a roaming security guard or another co-worker. And it would be convenient to have someone there to explain to the police how sick Ms. Wise was, and how she had heard that Barbara's son terrorized her.... and the numerous talks near the copy machine and in the lunchroom...."Poor Dear".. Plant the seed, and have the Coroner wave away any objections over bruises. It could be that the autopsy was somewhat true in that she had massive organ failure. What could be left out is the previous beating and torture that caused it. But one thing is for sure. They wouldn't need a DC cop starting to actually think. You need the coroner to come up with results fast in order to take the detectives mind off the fact that a naked woman who shit on herself was found dead in the middle of a 4th floor locked office at the department of Commerce. Alleviate the cops own suspicions and you're home-free. Hence an autopsy that occurs in record time even though the DC Coroner's office has a backlog longer than the beltway.
And with the right cover stories here and there, it just goes away without much of a fight. The problem now is: If any of this is as I speculate, almost any evidence that would prove foul play is gone. I don't know why anyone hasn't picked up this story. Either I am a crackpot, or Barbara Wise, a falling down drunk who amazingly, in spite of her raging alcoholism , kept a job for 14 years at the Commerce Department and died of natural causes, after deficating on herself and stripping off all her clothes in the middle of her boss's office.
Posted by: Demidog (rfisk@best.com)*
The media coverage of the Barbara Wise story was sparse and incomplete. After I learned of the story I started banging on every search engine on the internet. I ended up having to pay to read 4 very superficial mentions of Ms. Wise's death:
an actual written report (Annapolis "The Capitol" on Nov 29th),
a follow up by "The Capitol" on Dec 12.,
a brief mention in response to a questioner in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the "Q & A in the news"
column on February 12.
First, it's quite an exaggeration to say that the story received an "inordinate amount of attention". That's what they want us to believe: The press and authorities have looked into the matter with due-diligance and there's nothing to it.
Second, I don't think they ran the story in December. I was unable to find a December story mentioning Wise at all (or any of the expected keywords: autopsy, Commerce, death, Wise, Barbara...ad infinitum) even though I did find the February mention using the same keywords. Things are starting to smell.
- never really ran the story
- ran an almost identical story to the one in the Capitol which picked up the Wise liver disease reference from reporter Jeff Nelson
Talked to the detective who handled the case today, Jerry Sitek.
Ms. Wise was found completely nude in an adjacent locked office to her own. Her body was covered with bruises. She was found by a female co-worker on Friday, at 7:45AM when she went to sign in for work. Apparently the office where Ms. Wise was found was actually her boss's (he wouldn't give me the boss's name or of the co-worker who found Ms Wise). The "sign-in" book resided there.
How does one drink so heavily that your liver fails and keep a job at Commerce? Perhaps this doesn't speak to any kind of cover-up but to the shoddy Human Resources Dept at Commerce...
If one "frequently" sleeps in her office, wouldn't one make sure a blanket and pillow were available? And is sleeping at the office an accepted practice in the Commerce dept?
Wise lived alone (her son also lived alone). Why would Ms Wise be afraid to go home to an empty house? And on a Thanksgiving weekend?
And if she was so damn sick, wouldn't she have needed a hospital months earlier? I have never seen a picture of Ms Wise but sure would love to see one.
I called the Coroners office on Wednesday the September 10th, 1997. The first thing I was told (I had to talk to the PR's officer) was that autopsies are never released to the public. I didn't know this.
The bruises on her body were not caused by a beating. The Dr. was emphatic about this.
She also did not die of a heart attack. (Strike two for Sitek)
But for the life of me I could not get her to tell me what it really was. So perhaps it was liver failure, but as far as I know, you don't just keel over from liver failure.
Wise worked under Director Chris Christianson in the International Trade Administration. Christianson, according to King is far down the bureaucratic food chain from the Secretary. Who shared the office with Wise? "Oh I'm not allowed to give out information like that." I am but a citizen with meager sources. It's time to file a FOIA act request, but alas....I am a chicken.
I'm hearing that Wise didn't share a suite with John Huang but with Ira Sockowitz. Remember the guy with "top secret with code-word clearance" who took a box of NSA encryption documents out of the Commerce dept. and stashed them in a safe at the SBA? Perhaps that mysterious box a Presidential aid was seen carrying off of Marine One was that box?
09/20/98 02:27:50 PDT
Hello my friend. Hope all is well. Let's see, after the distinguished gentlemen flex their tongues in the halls of the SINate, did you want to call Mueller on this, or did you want me to. I can just hear those rocks turning over and over. LOL!
I surely thank you for this timely reminder of what a bunch of corrupt criminals we had running this poor old country....
I'm going to link it to my DUBOB series here:
DUBOB 5-- even *more* tales from the Dark
Underbelly of the Beast.....
You know, when this happened my question was a tongue-in-cheek, "Suicide? So she beat herself to death in a locked room...." but with the massive organ failure, I wonder if she was poisoned?
Just for the "H" of it, FYI--
Senator Says Gore Broke Law Regarding Russian Arms Sales to Iran
GORE HIT FOR 'SECRET DEAL' ON ARMS SALES TO IRAN
John I. Millis - Commits Suicide
"In 1996 and 1997 he was staff director of a special Congressional committee that investigated the Clinton administration's approval of arms shipments from Iran to Muslim forces in Bosnia."
Was Ron Brown Assassinated?
"Involved in over a dozen major scandals, Brown was, among other things, Clinton’s point man to bring Iranian Muslims and their weaponry into the Bosinian war. That broke the U.S. endorsed arms embargo. The money for the arms was most likely from the Commerce and Agriculture -- slush fund money channeled to U.S. manufactures, thence to U.S. friendly nations and firms overseas, thence to Iran."
Barbara Wise knew. Not anymore.
bttt
Thanks for posting this. I wonder if the general public will ever learn what a terrifying place to be Washington, D.C. was during the Clinton years.
Who's who in the Commerce scandal
Commerce security under Daley a 'joke' - Please Read This.
Gore Chairman Met With Spies - William Daley
Commerce secretary goes to China
The Corruption of Warren Christopher
Riady a targetof Justice probe
Cyberporn scandal hits Commerce Department
Ron Miller - Witness in Brown Case May Have Been Murdered
RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson Demands Ron Brown Commerce Department Probe be Reactivated
Chuckle, chuckle.
An Italian journalist of a certain age was telling me about his first trip to Little Rock. "I recognized it immediately," he said with a wry smile. "The closed atmosphere, the reluctance to be seen talking to an outsider, the background fear . . . just like Sicily.’’ He had spent years covering the Mafia in his own country, and he was quick to recognize the similarities between the Sicily of his youth and the Arkansas of his maturer years: Bill Clinton’s Arkansas, whose methods and mores have been so brutally and effectively imposed on Washington in the 1990s.
It’s a shame that the tandem of Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo has not given us its vision of our present condition, for Clinton and his political/business ``family’’ are right out of The Godfather. Just as the Corleones started in a tiny backwater town and eventually became a vast international criminal organization, so the Clintons have moved from Hope, Arkansas, to exert their corrupt influence on a global scale. The climactic moment of The Godfather, when Al Pacino looks deep into the eyes of his beloved to tell her a bald-faced but comforting lie, has been reprised to the point of monotony by Bill Clinton.
Just as Don Corleone and his sons bought, blackmailed, or extorted the favors of businessmen, politicians, judges, and journalists, so Clinton’s tenacious survival of a series of mortal threats to his Presidency is intimately linked (as was his initial rise to power) to the successful manipulation of business, political, judicial, and journalistic institutions, beginning with the spectacular purge of all the U.S. Attorneys at the outset of the first term, and culminating so far with the intimidation of potentially damaging witnesses, probing journalists, and Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. And just as real-life mafiosi often maintain Jewish consiglieri, so the Clintons have their Nussbaums, Landows, and Blumenthals.
It should not surprise us. Small-town politics always have a bit of the mafia about them, particularly in the south, whether it be southern Italy, southern Germany or the Southern United States. Life in the South is more sensual and languid than in the North, less imbued by the Puritan ethic in bedroom or workplace, and less open to inquiring eyes from without. Southern societies are more secretive, and are more often dominated by small groups -- whether you call them mafias or the good ol’ boys, it’s the same kettle of fish -- than the more transparent and meritocratic northern ones. Mafias rest on a dual code of absolute loyalty to the family and tenacious refusal to cooperate with the broader society and its values.
The Clinton family’s contempt for conventional rules was recently pointed out by the Administration’s own expert on the subject. In the course of hearings on illegal foreign funding of the Democratic National Committee, Rep. Dan Burton asked FBI Director Louis Freeh whether he had ever been involved in a case in which so many witnesses were unavailable.
Freeh instantly responded: ``Actually, I have. . . . I spent about 16 years doing organized-crime cases in New York City, and many people were frequently unavailable.’’ Mafia family members owe loyalty only to the family, never to outside organizations, as Democratic Party regulars can attest. Clinton’s organization is his alone, which helps explain this President’s notable lack of coattails in election years. Indeed, Clinton’s main effect on his party has been to drive hundreds of elected Democrats to become -- Republicans. The centrality of the family was seen in the first months of the Administration, in the classic takeover operation known as Travelgate. Civil servants were replaced by Clinton’s relatives so that the profits would be kept in the family, and when the victims refused to go quietly they were accused of the very thing the Arkansas mafia intended to do: make money out of the government travel business.
The greatest threat to a mafia is betrayal from within -- hence the rigid code of silence (omertà). For the code to work effectively, all members must be guilty of serious crimes, so that any betrayal will doom them all to extended prison terms, or worse. The presence of a single honest man could be fatal to the organization by breaking the ties of reciprocal blackmail, which perhaps explains why Al Gore was made the Administration’s ``solicitor-in-chief’’ and the bag man in the Buddhist-temple caper. Once he had been publicly corrupted he couldn’t turn in the others without subjecting himself to the same punishment. The code has been extraordinarily effective; in the classic tradition, Clinton family members have refused to provide information about their chieftains, even when -- as in the cases of Susan McDougal and Webster Hubbell -- they must serve time.
For outsiders who pose a danger, more explicit threats are required. Anyone acting against the family must be destroyed (as the White House brags it is doing to Kenneth Starr), but at the same time the Godfather invariably offers such people a corrupt way out: cooperation is rewarded.
These practices have been adopted with regard to Monica Lewinsky (now getting her a high-paying job, now threatening her career by portraying her as an unstable sexual predator, all the while denying any involvement with her), and in the matter of Kathleen Willey. Mrs. Willey’s mugging by the President was first confirmed by her friend Julie Steele, who then changed her story after a conversation with family fundraiser and consigliere Nate Landow, and a cash offer from a national tabloid. Here again, The Godfather provides us with the model of one witness who retracts his testimony before a Congressional committee just when it appears the Don is about to be indicted, and another who is killed when he refuses to cooperate.
When Michael Corleone expanded the family empire, he created a series of strategic alliances, and the Clintons have done the same. The Clinton mafia was created by the marriage of two urban families: the Arkansas group that had grown up around the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, and the Chicago family associated with Richard Daley Jr.
The mafia has always preferred corruption to conflict, because warfare is bad for business, and so it has been with the Clinton family. Even before coming to Washington, the Clintons established financially profitable ties to Asian families like the Riadys, and this provided the model for American foreign policy toward China under the cover of ``free trade.’’ Why risk conflict with the People’s Republic when there is so much money to be made by doing business with it? And why worry about such trivial matters as national security when, by selling dozens of supercomputers to the Chinese, family friends in the electronics business can make millions of dollars?
Finally, looking at the Clinton Administration as a mafia helps explain the President’s rising popularity as the American public learns more about his corrupt actions. When I first saw The Godfather, the audience burst into cheers when Michael lied to his bride and told her that was the last time he would answer such questions. But that was only a movie. Who could have imagined that it was a prescient look at the future of American politics?
LIST OF DECEASED PERSONS LEFT ON CHAIR OF E-MAIL CONTRACTOR
Just to keep you up to date. NO EXCUSES.
Is Missy Kelly still around?
The last I heard, "yes."
Click on Photo:
Operational Services
Executive Assistant Chief Terrance W. Gainer
Police Headquarters
300 Indiana Ave., NW, Room 5080
Washington, DC 20001
202-727-4363 (phone)
202-727-9729 (fax)
Testimony of Chief of Police Larry D. Soulsby
"There was little or no case management during the time period examined by the analysts. The contents of the case jackets were indicative of poor management and supervisory practices:
The NDIC analysts made approximately 50 specific recommendations to improve Homicide Branch case management and operations. They even provided a sample case check sheets, designed specifically for the Metropolitan Police Department, to assist Homicide Branch supervisors when reviewing cases! The reports included specific investigative activities and/or additional investigation, which if pursued, might close several open homicide cases."
BTTT
D.C.Police today described Congressman Condit as,"not a suspect in the death of Barbara Wise." (/humor)
Wish Missy Kelly were still around here.
bump
bump for Barbara Wise
The death of Barbara Wise has always bothered me. Ron Browns aircraft crashing, John Huang placed in Commerce with a top security clearance? The entire thing is a filthy mess.
Where is Jocelyn Jolley?
Confidences Became Public Humiliation
Social Network Diagram - Jocelyn Jolley
The Starr Report
"305. Keating 2/25/98 GJ at 76. The Pentagon position had a higher salary than Ms. Lewinsky’s White House job. Lewinsky 8/3/98 Int. at 5. Ms. Lewinsky’s supervisor, Jocelyn Jolley, was also transferred that day. Keating 2/25/98 GJ at 76-79; Lewinsky 8/6/98 GJ at 171. Unlike Ms. Lewinsky, Ms. Jolley was given a demotion: a temporary job at the General Services Administration. Jolley 2/24/98 GJ at 36-39; Keating 2/25/98 GJ at 79. "
Who Is Jocelyn Jolley?
Investor's Business Daily
Editorial
October 5, 1998
EDITORIALS
Who Is Jocelyn Jolley?
Among the many women associated with President Clinton, one nearly unknown is Jocelyn Jolley. Even less clear is what's happened to her. The public has reason to be interested in her as another possible victim of Bill Clinton.
The House Judiciary Committee would be derelict in its duty if it didn't try to find out.
A mere footnote in Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's report, Jolley was transferred out of her job at the White House Office of Legislative Affairs the same day as Monica Lewinsky. She worked with Lewinsky at the White House and apparently supervised her.
Lewinsky wound up at the Pentagon at a better pay grade. Jolley, according to Starr's report, was shunted to a temporary job at the General Services Administration - a demotion.
Calls we placed to GSA to locate Jolley among its work force did not turn her up. Phone calls to possible Jocelyn Jolleys in the metro Washington area either turned up wrong numbers or went unreturned. Searches through a variety of Washington-area employment directories were fruitless also. What happened? Where is she?
We do know Jolley served in the Clinton White House from its very first days. She started as a special assistant in its Office of Legislative Affairs. In '94, according to the Federal Staff Directory, she was a staff assistant in the office's House Liaison Office. By spring '96, Jolley had won a promotion with a new title, director of congressional correspondence. She never made it to summer.
Why did Jolley get transferred out of the White House? Did she request to leave? Or, for that matter, was she looking for a temporary job? Is she one of Clinton's conquests or did she refuse the "honor"? Was Jolley's transfer related to the trouble Lewinsky stirred up? White House spokesman Jim Kennedy told us the White House couldn't authorize the release of personnel records.
The reason these questions are fair to ask is because President Clinton's attorney in the Paula Jones case, Robert Bennett, admitted that inquiring about "sex for jobs" was "fair game" in the lawsuit. He made this statement in a telephone conference held with Judge Susan Webber Wright on Dec.30,1997.
A memo penned by White House aide John Hilley furnishes one clue. It referred to the removal of Lewinsky and an unnamed female colleague for "extracurricular activities." Was Jolley the other colleague?
Whatever the answer, the disparity in job treatment is striking.
Compared with Jolley, Lewinsky had a pretty darn good thing going. Not only did she enjoy a "inappropriate relationship" with the world's most powerful man, she got lots of job help from him.
According to Starr's materials, she recalled that Clinton said he knew who she was sometime in September '95. She has said that her sexual relationship with Clinton began during the government shutdown of mid-November '95.
Lewinsky began her stint at the White House as an intern in Chief of Staff Leon Panett's office in July '95. Lewinsky also testified that Clinton recognized from the start that her intern status might prove problematic. Lewinsky started her paid White House position in the Office of Legislative Affairs in late November.
Before April '96 came to a close, Lewinsky had been transferred to the Pentagon. Not long after, Clinton was pledging to help get Lewinsky a White House job. White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles testified that Clinton asked him to help find Lewinsky a job. Bowles said he handed off the request to his deputy, John Podesta.
Clinton's secretary, Betty Currie, testified that Clinton asked her and aide Marsha Scott to help Lewinsky fill a White House slot. Currie recounted that she resisted and argued against doing so, but the president insisted, in Currie's words, "to still pursue here coming back." Currie also testified that this was the only time she could remember Clinton instructing her to find someone a White House job.
She did get a job offer from the then-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, but turned it down hoping for something better. The rest of the story is well-known history: Vernon Jordan, Linda TRipp, etc.
We only hope Jocelyn Jolley's story turned out well. The public deserves to know.
Me too!
