This article was first posted in 2020 regarding a CBS News report from 2008.
The following is a news analysis.
Watch Sharyl Attkisson’s 2008 video here. More links are below the article.
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 20 years since I traveled with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton to Bosnia.
The trip in 1996 would later become grist for the political mill when presidential candidate Clinton claimed–in 2008–that we had dodged sniper fire on that trip.
I not only had a different memory, but I still had the video from the event and it clearly showed no snipers. In fact, there were children on the runway in Bosnia to greet Clinton. Singer Sheryl Crow was on the trip with us, as was comedian Sinbad (to entertain the US troops). Sinbad, too, pointed out he didn’t recall sniper fire.
CBS News assigned me to do the story on Clinton’s mistaken memory. When she doubled down the next day, we followed up with a second day story.
Photos below show Hillary and Chelsea Clinton upon arrival at the airport in Tuzla, Bosnia, not “ducking and running for cover.”
Some analysts said the false account was the final nail in the coffin that caused her to drop out of the race in 2008, clearing the path for Barack Obama to take the nomination for Democrats. Clinton never fully explained whether she knew she wasn’t telling the truth, or whether she actually somehow believed her own concocted story. She simply explained that she’d been overtired.
Link to original CBS News article
Watch the original CBS News report in 2008
Clinton doubles down on sniper fire claim: WATCH SECOND NIGHT VIDEO HERE
One of Hillary Clinton’s “sniper fire” claims can be seen at the beginning of this parody video.
Here’s Attkisson’s 1996 report on Hillary Clinton’s Bosnia trip with no sniper fire.
A transcript of the original report is below:
CBS News Video Contradicts Clinton’s Story
It was supposed to be an example of Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s battle-tested experience:
Problem is: that’s not how it happened at all. And we should know: CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson and a CBS News crew accompanied the First Lady on that Bosnia trip.A photograph shows Clinton talking to Attkisson on the military flight into Tuzla.
And pictures CBS News recorded show the greeting ceremony when the plane landed.
Compare that to Clinton’s account…”I remember landing under sniper fire,” she said. “There was no greeting ceremony and we were basically told to run to our cars. That is what happened.”
But there was no sniper fire either when Clinton visited two army outposts, where she posed for photos. And no sniper fire back at the base, where she sang in a USO show starring Sinbad and Sheryl Crowe.
Asked about the issue during a meeting with the Philadelphia Daily News’ editorial board on Monday, Clinton said she “misspoke.”
“I went to 80 countries, you know. I gave contemporaneous accounts, I wrote about a lot of this in my book. You know, I think that, a minor blip, you know, if I said something that, you know, I say a lot of things – millions of words a day – so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement,” she said.
A spokesman for rival Barack Obama‘s campaign questioned whether Clinton misspoke, saying her comments came in what appeared to be prepared remarks for the Iraq speech. His campaign’s statement included a link to the speech on Clinton’s campaign Web site with her account of running to the cars.
Clinton’s campaign said what is on the Web site is not the prepared text, but a transcript of her remarks, including comments before the speech in which she talked about the trip to Bosnia.
Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a written statement that Clinton’s Bosnia story “joins a growing list of instances in which Senator Clinton has exaggerated her role in foreign and domestic policymaking.”
Referring to the CBS News video, Clinton aides said Monday, it “was not quite as dramatic as Clinton put it.”
“She meant that there was fire on the hillside around the area when we landed, which was the case,” said Clinton campaign aide Lissa Muscatine.
Mike Allen of Politico.com said: “Who knows if she misremembered, misspoke, exaggerated, whatever. It makes the case for Sen. Obama that all this experience that she’s been talking about is at least partly in her imagination.”
Hundreds of thousands have viewed the video online in just the past few days.
There’s a saying: Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.
When you’re running for president, maybe it should be: never let your memories be greater than the video.
An AI generated transcript of the second night report is below.
story sharyl Attkisson reported here
last night she showed us video that
directly contradicted hillary clinton’s
account of the dangers she faced on a
1996 visit to bosnia since our broadcast
that video has spread all over the
Internet it was the most viewed video of
the day on YouTube with more than a
million hits and today Senator Clinton
admitted quote I made a mistake but it
wasn’t the only one as Cheryl shows us
tonight Hillary Clinton’s attempt to
tout her foreign policy experience
pounded her again on the campaign trail
today I made you know I made a mistake
in describing it she claims she misspoke
last week and was sleep deprived when
she described landing under sniper fire
in Tuzla Bosnia something that didn’t
happen but CBS News has found several
times in the past few months when
senator Clinton used the Bosnia trip to
try to show her international experience
December in Iowa we landed in one of
those corkscrew landings and ran out
because they said there might be sniper
fire I don’t remember anybody offering
me tea on the tarmac when that was
happening then in February the welcoming
ceremony had to be moved inside because
of sniper fire and last week I remember
landing under sniper fire we basically
were told to run to our cars now that is
what happened after CBS news video
showed what really happened when she
landed and greeted officials senator
Clinton maintained there were risks but
explained to the Philadelphia Daily News
why she was seen on the Bosnian tarmac
greeting a young child if it was really
so dangerous I was also told that the
greeting ceremony had been moved away
from the tarmac but that there was this
eight-year-old girl and I said well I
have I can’t I can’t rush by her I’ve
got at least greeter
so I greeted her I took her stuff and I
left now that’s my memory of it
once again her memory doesn’t match our
videotape she and her daughter Chelsea
lingered on the tarmac to greet US
military officials took photos there was
the group of seventh graders on the
tarmac – and then senator Clinton walked
to the armored vehicle where she did
eventually dock and enter senator
Clinton hinted today that her own staff
has been suggesting to her that the
events weren’t quite as dramatic as she
had suggested her staff also sent out an
email to reporters today with a list of
supposed inconsistencies in what senator
Obama has said and done Harry in the end
doesn’t this really come down to a
matter of can you trust what she says I
think so I think that one reason
political observers think this is so
important is that Hillary Clinton has of
course made experience her issue in this
campaign saying she’s the one that’s
best suited to answer that 3:00 in the
morning phone call all right Cheryl
åkesson on Capitol Hill thanks
The Clintons have by lying their way through life for decades. You could literally fill a book, heck, volumes on lies they have told–and look where they are. One an ex president, the other a First Lady, a Congresswoman, a Secretary of State, and now a presidential candidate. It has certainly worked for them so far. They are as rich and powerful as one can get.
What I find unfathomable is, liberals just don’t care. The will vote for these people no matter how awful their conduct. They will vote for Charles Manson if you put a (D) after his name on the ballot box.
They say that running for president is one of the hardest things anyone will ever do. The stress and pressure of the campaign trail is unimaginable–as well it should be. The job of being a U.S. President and leader of the free world is stressful and will put the person under great pressure. Here is the deal though. Stress and pressure don’t build character–it reveals it. So when a candidate reveals their true lack of character on the campaign trail, that should be a clue to the voters to NOT VOTE FOR THEM.
But, alas liberals don’t care about character they only care about world view.
Yes, Democrats get away with lying. But why? I still cant figure out why Democrats dont seem to mind that their politicians do horrible things. Heck, look at Ted Kennedy!
Sure, Republicans lie too. But you wont find any Republicans getting re-elected after telling blatant, obvious lies (and even sticking with the lies after they are busted!) like Democrats do.
I think thats why Obama and the Democrats tried “testing the waters” in 2012 when they left all references to religion off the Democrat platform. Democrats dont want to be held accountable. And thats what most religions do, hold you accountable. Sure, you can fake being a religious or spiritual person (like Obama), but most people who follow the religion you profess to will see right through the lies. Democrats like Obama dont want ANYTHING to do with “truth”. They are much more comfortable making up their own version of what the truth is. Even when Democrats like Hillary, Bill, Pelosi, Reed and Obama get caught saying something that makes them look bad or get caught in a lie, they just try to explain to everyone that what they said isnt what they meant. You know, “depends on what the meaning of “is” is”. The truth is an annoyance to Democrats, plain and simple. By eliminating God from their platform, they will no longer be held accountable to anyone but themselves.
I dont know about you, but asking me to trust a room full of political lawyers is asking way too much. But, Democrats dont seem to mind anymore. That is, as long as its their guy/gal doing the lying. And with most of the media doing the same thing, we are only headed down hill…regardless of their “good intentions”.
When you see the Clinton lies, the Obama lies without any honest main stream media reporting you know we are in real trouble. How can the nation survive without a strong media to keep all politicians in check. Hopefully Sharyl Attkisson and “Full Measure” will be the beginning of real reporting and all others will follow.
On May 22, 1970 Saint Paul Minnesota Police Officer James T. Sackett, Sr. was shot to death by a Black Panther assassin. The sniper fire was aimed at Officer Sackett as he arrived in response to a fake medical emergency call. The cowardly assassin evaded justice until recently, when he was finally arrested and convicted in the Murder of Officer Sackett. Anyone who has worn a uniform and been subjected to sniper rifle fire knows the reality and potential. We thank the Lord in Heaven for those who have survived, and we pray for the souls who were cut down by cowardly assassins. Officer Sackett was bravely doing his job when he was killed. Anyone who attempts to draw attention to themselves with a fake news story of heroism should be ashamed. True heroes don’t exaggerate facts.
How true to the Clinton mouth. She must have been tired and exhausted. Just tell the truth, if you can’t keep your mouth shut. Same for Billy Boy, “I did not have sex with that women”. Well oral sex is just “oral”. So I’m ok with no sex. Discussed with both of them.
Moldy Old Hillary is a liar and as dirty as they come..!!