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White House Peddles Politico Story Citing GOP Hypocrisy on Terrorist Questioning

The White House has been calling reporters’ attention to a Politico story that accuses Republicans of being hypocritical for criticizing the Obama administration’s treatment of accused Christmas Day underpants bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The White House has been calling reporters’ attention to a Politico story that accuses Republicans of being hypocritical for criticizing the Obama administration’s treatment of accused Christmas Day underpants bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. On Tuesday, the White House, unsolicited, sent Declassified a copy of a story by Politico reporter Mike Allen headed “Shoe Bomber Also Got Miranda.” The gist: when authorities arrested Richard Reid in December 2001 after he tried to blow up a transatlantic airliner with a bomb hidden in his shoe, investigators read Reid his “Miranda rights” four times during his first two days in custody, the initial warning coming only five minutes after his arrest. At the time, of course, George W. Bush was president. 

The White House’s touting of the Politico story follows harsh Republican criticism of how the Obama administration treated Abdulmutallab after his arrest. Just today, Kit Bond (R-Mo.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, railed against “the administration’s many costly missteps in their treatment of terrorists, including the treatment of the Christmas Day bomber as a common criminal,” according to a press release issued by his office. At a committee hearing, Bond lashed out at the administration for having investigators read Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights only hours after his arrest. “We will never know how many timely leads were lost as a result of his refusal to cooperate after he was Mirandized,” Bond declared, adding: “This approach gave his terrorist colleagues time to cover their tracks while Americans remained at risk.” 

But the Politico story cites court records showing Reid was arrested by Massachusetts State Police at 12:55 p.m. after his plane landed at Boston Logan Airport and read his Miranda rights “at around 1:00 p.m.,” or only five minutes after his arrest. The records show he was read his rights again an hour and 15 minutes later, and then again after 5 p.m. The next day Reid was read his rights a fourth time, and also signed a form acknowledging he understood his rights and agreed to be questioned, according to Politico. By contrast, as we reported last month, federal investigators questioned Abdulmutallab for at least an hour after his arrest at Detroit Airport and before being treated at a hospital for injuries he sustained when he unsuccessfully tried to detonate his underpants bomb. He was not read his rights until several hours later.

Politico points out that the Bush administration rejected the notion of trying Reid before a military tribunal and instead tried him in a civilian court. Republicans have strongly argued that Abdulmutallab should be tried before a military commission and have even threatened legislative action to try to block any administration effort to try him in a civilian court.

A White House official acknowledged to NEWSWEEK that the administration is encouraging journalists to pay attention to the Politico story, but declined any further comment.

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Mark Hosenball joined Newsweek as an investigative correspondent in November 1993, covering a range of issues for the National Affairs department. Most recently, he has written and reported numerous stories on terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks on America. He has also covered campaign finance, the Monica Lewinsky controversy, the death of Princess Diana, Whitewater, the crashes of EgyptAir flight 990 and TWA flight 800, as well as related air safety issues.

Hosenball came to Newsweek from "Dateline NBC," where he worked as an investigative producer. He also worked extensively as a print journalist, writing for a number of British and American publications, including the London Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic. In addition, he has done commentaries for American Public Radio.

Hosenball has been honored with a number of prestigious awards. Most recently, along with a team of Newsweek correspondents, he was awarded the Overseas Press Club's most prestigious honor, the 2002 Ed Cunningham Memorial Award for best magazine reporting from abroad for Newsweek's coverage of the war on terror. His reporting and that of his colleagues earned Newsweek the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002 for its coverage of September 11 and its aftermath. And a story he co-authored was highlighted in a citation Newsweek received by the White House Correspondents' Association when it awarded the magazine the 2002 Edgar A. Poe Award for "excellence on a story of national or regional importance. "Newsweek's September 11 coverage started long before the attacks. An article in the magazine's February 19, 2001 issue warned with chilling accuracy: 'The threat posed by (Osama) bin Laden is growing -- and coming ever closer to home."

Hosenball was a contributor to the CANAL + TV documentary, "L'Argent de la Drogue" (Drug Money), which was awarded the "Sept D'Or," the French equivalent of an Emmy. He also contributed to NBC News' coverage of the BCCI scandal, which earned a 1991 Peabody Award.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania and Trinity College in Dublin. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.

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