Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan | |
|---|---|
 Scott McClellan in the press room of the White House | |
| 25th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office July 17 2003 – April 26 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Ari Fleischer |
| Succeeded by | Tony Snow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 14, 1968 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jill Martinez |
Scott McClellan (born February 14, 1968) is a former White House Press Secretary (2003–2006) for President George W. Bush, and author of a controversial book about the Bush Administration titled What Happened. He replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in July 2003 and served until replaced by Tony Snow on April 26, 2006.
Family
Born in Austin, Texas, McClellan is the youngest son of Carole Keeton Strayhorn, former Texas State Comptroller and former 2006 independent Texas gubernatorial candidate, and attorney Barr McClellan. McClellan's brother Mark headed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and was formerly Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration. McClellan is the grandson of the late W. Page Keeton, longtime Dean of the University of Texas School of Law and renowned expert in tort law. He married Jill Martinez in November 2003.[1]
Career
After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alpha Chapter, McClellan was the three-time campaign manager for his mother. In addition, he worked on political grassroots efforts and was the Chief of Staff to a Texas State Senator.[2]
Karen Hughes, then Governor of Texas George W. Bush's communications director, hired McClellan to be Bush's deputy press secretary. McClellan served as Bush's travelling press secretary during the 2000 Presidential election. McClellan became White House Deputy Press Secretary in 2003. McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer, who stepped down as White House Press Secretary on July 15, 2003. McClellan announced his resignation as Press Secretary on April 19, 2006. On April 26, it was announced that Tony Snow would succeed him in the position.
Memoir and criticism of Bush administration
McClellan criticized the Bush administration in his 2008 memoir, What Happened.[3] In the book, he accused Bush of "self-deception"[4] and of maintaining a "permanent campaign approach" to governing rather than making the best choices.[5] McClellan stopped short of saying that Bush purposely lied about his reasons for invading Iraq, writing that the administration was not "employing out-and-out deception" to make the case for war in 2002,[6] though he did assert the administration relied on an aggressive "political propaganda campaign" over well-established facts to sell the Iraq war.[7] His book was also critical of the press corps for being too accepting of the administration's perspective on the war[5] and of Condoleezza Rice for being "too accommodating" and overly careful about protecting her own reputation.[4]
In a Washington Post article on June 1, 2008, McClellan said of Bush: "I still like and admire George W. Bush. I consider him a fundamentally decent person, and I do not believe he or his White House deliberately or consciously sought to deceive the American people."[8]
Speaking frequently on the TV circuit, McClellan told Keith Olbermann in an interview on June 9, 2008, regarding the Iraq War planning: "I don`t think there was a conspiracy theory there, some conspiracy to deliberately mislead. I don`t want to imply a sinister intent. There might have been some individuals that knew more than others and tried to push things forward in a certain way, and that`s something I can`t speak to. I don`t think that you had a bunch of people sitting around a room, planning and plotting in a sinister way. That`s the point I make in the book. At the same time, whether or not it was sinister or not, it was very troubling that we went to war on this basis."[9]
As a result of his assertions in his book, McClellan was invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.[10] When asked about his testimony McClellan said: "I don't have anything incriminating to say here if that's what you're looking for."[11] During the actual testimony McClellan said: "I do not think the president had any knowledge" [of the revelation of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity]; "In terms of the vice president, I do not know."[12] While being questioned by Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla., McClellan conceded that the president had never asked him to shade the truth, use innuendo or employ propaganda, nor ordered anyone else to do so in his presence.[13]
Response to criticisms
The Bush administration responded through Press Secretary Dana Perino, who said, "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. We are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."[13]
Reaction from other Republicans repeated these themes of confusion, surprise and sadness, but were often more severe. Critics included former White House staffers, including Karl Rove, Dan Bartlett, Ari Fleischer and Mary Matalin. Fleischer and Matalin have claimed that McClellan had not shared similar doubts during his tenure in White House, and that if he had held such doubts then he ought not to have replaced Fleischer as Press Secretary. Both also claimed that McClellan was asked to leave the White House as he was not contributing to policy discussions. Matalin also called him "Judas", although she stepped back from calling the book a "betrayal".[14] McClellan has responded by stating that his role as White House Press Secretary was not to make policy, that he was inclined to give the Administration the "benefit of the doubt", and did not fully appreciate the circumstances until after leaving the "White House bubble."[15]
On May 28, 2008, The O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly presented a clip from an interview with Fleischer, based on his prior contacts with McClellan, suggested that the book was heavily influenced by the publisher's editor. On May 29, 2008, Karl Rove appeared on The O'Reilly Factor and said that McClellan's book had no evidentiary basis to support his assertions. McClellan stated on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann that "everything in the book is a clear reflection of my views and everything in the book is mine."[15]
2008 Election cycle
McClellan endorsed Barack Obama for president on CNN's D.L. Hughley Breaks the News aired on October, 25, 2008. The endorsement was reported in the press two days earlier as the show had been taped prior to airing.
References
- ^ Leibovich, Mark (December 22 2005). "Unanswer Man". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ White House bio.
- ^ What Happened. ISBN 978-1586485566.
- ^ a b Bumiller, Elizabeth (2008-05-28). "In Book, Ex-Spokesman Has Harsh Words for Bush". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Allen, Mike (2008-05-27). "Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House". The Politico. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Shear, Michael D (2008-05-28). "Ex-Press Aide Writes That Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ "Ex-aide Scott McClellan rips Bush's Iraq 'propaganda'". Associated Press. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ Yardley, Jonathan (2008-06-01). "Culture of Deception". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "McClellan: White House 'Heads in sand'".
- ^ "McClellan To Testify About CIA Leak - Washington Post".
- ^ "McClellan "I share blame"".
- ^ "McClellan: Cheney should testify about CIA leak".
- ^ a b Gillman, Todd (2008-05-28). "Parties clash on Scott McClellan's book, congressional testimony". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) Cite error: The named reference "loven" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ FOX News's "Hannity & Colmes, 2008-05-28". Hannity & Colmes. 2008-05-28.
- ^ a b "Countdown, 2008-05-29". Countdown with Keith Olbermann. 2008-05-29.
External links
- "Personnel Announcement (announcement of McClellan's promotion to Press Secretary)" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. June 20 2003.
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- "President Thanks Fleischer, Taps McClellan as New Press Secretary (remarks from President Bush)" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. June 20 2003.
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
- "White House Press Briefings by Date - 2005" (Press release). The White House.
- Associate Press (May 19, 2006). "Text:President Bush and Scott McClellan (McClellan's resignation)". San Francisco Chronicle.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
- Doyle, Leonard (22 November 2007). "Former aide accuses Bush on CIA leak". The Independent.
And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the Vice-President, the president's chief of staff and the president himself.
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- Hornick, Ed (3 June 2008). "McClellan backs some of Obama's agenda". CNN.com.
McClellan -- who has faced withering criticism from the White House and other Bush allies since his book was released -- declined to answer directly when asked if he still considers himself a Republican.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
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