Investigation sought into CBS memos

FORT WORTH, Texas – Fifty-one members of Congress have requested an investigation into the suspected forgery of memos used by CBS to report on President Bush’s service in the National Guard.

Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas, said Tuesday that federal officials were “still consulting” with the Justice Department in Washington and that no decision had been made on whether to launch an investigation.

The Texas Rangers, meanwhile, have also been asked to look into the matter by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, in a letter signed by him and other Republicans in Congress.

“We’ve received a copy of the letter, but we’re not doing anything at this time,” said Tela Mange, a Rangers spokeswoman in Austin. “We’re still looking at it.”

Smith sent the letter last week to state Attorney General Greg Abbott and U.S. Attorney Richard Roper in Dallas. Abbott referred the letter to the Texas Rangers.

“A crime may have been committed to influence the outcome of a presidential election while our commander in chief leads the war on terror,” Smith wrote.

“This is a grave offense that demands the attention of the appropriate law enforcement and investigative authorities.”

The four memos – now being sharply questioned – were purportedly written in the early 1970s by a commander in the Texas Air National Guard. They said that Bush, as a young member of the Guard, was not meeting expectations and that another commander wanted to “sugarcoat” it.

CBS used the documents for its Sept. 8 report on “60 Minutes” about Bush’s service in the Guard. The network has since apologized for the report and has begun an internal investigation.

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas said Tuesday that she joined other Republican members of Congress in calling for the investigation to determine whether the report was anything more than a case of sloppy journalism.

“I believed it needed to be looked into,” Granger said. “It just seemed like more than just a mistake.”

The memos were given to CBS by West Texas rancher Bill Burkett, a former commander in the National Guard who has criticized Bush in the past. He could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

In a recent interview with the Star-Telegram, Burkett said that he first learned of the memos’ existence during an unsolicited phone call from a woman who identified herself as Lucy Ramirez.

An unidentified man, he said, subsequently handed him the documents on March 3 while he was at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Burkett told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he believed the memos were legitimate but said he warned CBS to independently verify their authenticity.

In his letter, Smith said one possible crime could be “tampering with a governmental record.”

“We do not know if Mr. Burkett forged the document, or if other individuals may have been involved,” Smith wrote. “Please take whatever action is necessary … to fully examine this matter.”