Ari Fleischer
Fleischer in 2022
23rd White House Press Secretary
In office
January 20, 2001 – July 15, 2003
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
DeputyScott McClellan
Preceded byJake Siewert
Succeeded byScott McClellan
Personal details
Born
Lawrence Ari Fleischer

(1960-10-13) October 13, 1960
New York City, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children2
EducationMiddlebury College (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) is an American media consultant and political aide who served as the 23rd White House Press Secretary, for President George W. Bush, from January 2001 to July 2003.

As press secretary in the Bush administration, Fleischer was a prominent advocate for the invasion of Iraq. Since leaving the White House, he has worked as a media consultant and commentator. He joined Fox News as a contributor in July 2017.[1]

Early life

Fleischer was born in 1960 in New York City,[2] the son of Martha and Alan A. Fleischer.[3] His mother was a database coordinator and his father was owner of an executive recruiting company.[3] His parents were Jewish; his mother is a Hungarian immigrant who lost much of her family in the Holocaust. Both parents were Democrats who were "horrified" when Fleischer became a Republican, he told an interviewer in 2003: "While I lived at home and when I started college, I was a liberal Democrat. In a sense, it was President Carter who drove me out of the Democratic Party and it was President Reagan who welcomed me into the Republican Party."[4] He graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, New York, in 1978, and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1982.

Congressional staffer

Upon his graduation from Middlebury, Fleischer worked as press secretary for Jon S. Fossel, a Republican candidate for a New York congressional seat. Later Fleischer worked as press secretary for Norman Lent. From 1985 to 1988, he was field director for the National Republican Congressional Committee. He went back to being a press secretary in 1988, working for congressman Joseph DioGuardi.

Fleischer served as U.S. Senator Pete Domenici's press secretary from 1989 to 1994 and as spokesman for the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee for five years. He worked as deputy communications director for George H. W. Bush's 1992 reelection campaign.[5]

White House press secretary

Fleischer as White House Press Secretary

Although Fleischer served as communications director for Elizabeth Dole during her presidential run in the 2000 election campaign, he joined George W. Bush's presidential campaign after Dole dropped out of the race. When Bush became the President in 2001, he tapped Fleischer to become the first press secretary of his administration.

Fleischer is credited with having been the first to introduce the phrase "homicide bombing" to describe what has also been called suicide bombing, in April 2002, to emphasize the terrorist connotations of the tactic:

The president ... convened a meeting of the National Security Council, at which point, in the middle of the meeting, the president was informed about this morning's homicide bombing in Jerusalem ... The Saudi telethon, as they have told it to us, is to provide assistance to the Palestinian people, and that isn't – no money is going to go to provide the homicide bombers with any assistance from the Saudi government.

— Ari Fleischer, "White House Regular Briefing," Federal News Service, April 12, 2002

On May 19, 2003, he announced that he would resign during the summer, citing a desire to spend more time with his wife and to work in the private sector. He was replaced by deputy press secretary Scott McClellan on July 15, 2003.

Iraq War

As press secretary in the Bush administration, Fleischer was a prominent advocate for the Invasion of Iraq.[6] He made numerous exaggerated and misleading claims about Iraq in the lead-up to the Iraq War, in particular about Iraq's purported WMD program (it did not have one) and the Saddam Hussein regime's purported relationship with al-Qaeda (they did not have an operational relationship).[7][8] In January 2003, after UN weapons inspectors said they had "not found any smoking gun" evidence of an active WMD program, Fleischer said, "The problem with guns that are hidden is you can't see their smoke... We know for a fact that there are weapons there." (there were not)[9][10] On the issue of whether the Saddam Hussein regime had sought to obtain uranium from Niger, Fleischer said that it was "an issue that very well may be true. We don’t know if it’s true—but nobody, but nobody, can say it is wrong."[11][12] In his press conferences, he repeatedly insisted that the burden of proof for the non-existence of the Hussein regime's WMD program fell on Saddam Hussein, not on the Bush administration to prove that he did have an active WMD program.[11] On one occasion Fleischer said that Hussein "has to indicate whether or not he has weapons. . . . If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world. . . . If Saddam Hussein indicates that he has weapons of mass destruction and that he is violating United Nations resolutions, then we will know that Saddam Hussein again deceived the world."[11]

In 2019, Fleischer said, "It’s a myth that Bush lied" about Iraq, resulting in backlash.[13] Fleischer claimed that he and Bush "faithfully and accurately reported" the assessments of the Intelligence community. "Operation Avarice", a covert CIA operation to buy up WMD's in Iraq, did secure over 400 missiles and rockets containing chemical weapons, mostly Sarin nerve-gas, between 2005 and 2006. In some cases the missile's toxicity was over 25%, much higher than expected. Some details of the classified operation were revealed by the NY Times in 2015.[14] Additionally, hundreds and possibly thousands of US troops were exposed to various chemical weapons during cleanup operations when about 5,000 chemical warheads, shells or aviation bombs were located and demolished in Iraq. Some of the cases of exposure were hushed up at the time, as the military did not want to reveal that there were chemical agents around lest they be used by terrorists in conjunction with IEDs.[15]

Torture

In 2003, Fleischer said, "The standard for any type of interrogation of somebody in American custody is to be humane and to follow all international laws and accords dealing with this type subject. That is precisely what has been happening and exactly what will happen."[16][17] The administration used waterboarding, sleep deprivation and forced nudity against suspected combatants and suspected terrorists.[18]

In 2009, when the Department of Justice of the Obama administration launched a probe into alleged CIA interrogation abuses, Fleischer described the decision as "disgusting."[19][20] Fleischer said if he were subpoenaed in an investigation of alleged interrogation abuses, "I'll be proud to testify... I'm proud of what we did to protect this country."[21][22]

Alleged role in Plame affair

Fleischer became an important figure in the CIA leak case; he testified that Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, told him that Valerie Plame was a covert agent weeks before Libby had claimed to have been informed of Plame's status by a reporter.

On July 7, 2003, at The James S. Brady Briefing Room, Fleischer was asked about Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador who had recently written an editorial for The New York Times criticizing the intelligence information the Bush administration had relied upon to make its case for invading the nation of Iraq. Specifically, Fleischer was asked to respond to Mr. Wilson's assertion that he had been sent to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein had sought yellowcake uranium and found no evidence that such events had ever occurred.

Q: Can you give us the White House account of Ambassador Wilson's account of what happened when he went to Niger and investigated the suggestions that Niger was passing yellow cake to Iraq? I'm sure you saw the piece yesterday in The New York Times. FLEISCHER: Well, there is zero, nada, nothing new here. Ambassador Wilson, other than the fact that now people know his name, has said all this before. But the fact of the matter is in his statements about the Vice President—the Vice President's office did not request the mission to Niger. The Vice President's office was not informed of his mission and he was not aware of Mr. Wilson's mission until recent press accounts—press reports accounted for it.[23]

Fleischer testified in open court on January 29, 2007, that Libby told him on July 7, 2003, at lunch, about Plame, who is Wilson's wife. MSNBC correspondent David Shuster summarized Fleisher's testimony on Hardball with Chris Matthews:

Ambassador Wilson was sent to Niger by his wife. His wife works at the CIA," Fleischer recalled Libby saying. Libby said the information was "hush-hush, on the Q-T." He testified that "The information about Wilson's wife was news to me. It was the first time I had ever heard it."[24]

Fleischer also testified to the fact that Dan Bartlett, the president's communications adviser, told him the same thing on Air Force One days later on the way to Niger with President Bush. Fleischer had then relayed this information to Time correspondent John Dickerson and NBC's David Gregory in Uganda during the African trip.[25][26]

Dickerson denied that such a conversation ever took place.[27] Fleischer gave his final "Press Briefing" on July 14, 2003.

On July 18, 2005, Bloomberg reported that in his sworn testimony before the grand jury investigating the leak, Fleischer denied having seen a memo circulating in Air Force One on July 7, 2003, which named Plame in connection to Wilson's mission and which identified her as a "CIA" covert agent. However, a former Bush Administration official also on the plane testified to having seen Fleischer perusing the document.[28][29]

Columnist Robert Novak, who published Plame's name on July 14, 2003, made a call to Fleischer on July 7, 2003, before Fleischer's trip to Africa with President Bush. It is unclear whether Fleischer returned Novak's call.[28] However, Fleischer is mentioned in Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's indictment of Libby. The indictment states that Libby told Fleischer (referred to as the White House press secretary in the indictment) that Plame worked for the "CIA" and that this fact was not well known.

After receiving an immunity agreement, Fleischer testified that he had revealed Plame's identity to reporters after learning it from Libby.[26] However, in the end it was discovered that Richard Armitage first leaked Plame's identity, not Libby or Cheney.

Media bias

In his book Suppression, Deception, Snobbery, and Bias: Why the Press Gets So Much Wrong ― and Just Doesn't Care, Fleischer argues that "there's a younger generation of journalists … who think their job is to be subjective" and that "They don't believe in objectivity. They don't believe in two sides. They believe that their side, particularly on social issues and on racial matters, is the only right side."[30]

Consultancy firm

Today he works as a media consultant for various corporations and sports organizations and players through his company, Ari Fleischer Communications.[31] He has consulted for former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper,[32][33] Mark McGwire, the Washington Redskins,[34] Tiger Woods and the Green Bay Packers.

He also worked with the Saudi Arabian LIV Golf Tour.[35]

Memoir

Fleischer published a memoir, Taking Heat: The President, the Press and My Years in the White House, in 2005. Michiko Kakutani wrote in The New York Times, "[T]his book does not provide any new insights into the workings of the current White House. It does not present compelling portraits of cabinet members or members of the White House supporting cast. And it does not shed new light on the president or his methods of governance." She found the book "insular, defensive and wholly predictable."[36] In Salon.com, Eric Boehlert declared that despite "a few curious nuggets," the book is "long on praise for his boss and criticism of the 'liberal' media, and short on revelations."[36]

Personal life

In November 2002, Fleischer married Rebecca Elizabeth Davis, an employee in the Office of Management and Budget, in an interfaith ceremony.[37] Rabbi Harold S. White officiated the ceremony, with the participation of Rev. Michael J. Kelley, a Roman Catholic priest.[3] He resides in New York.[37] he raised his children Jewish and are members of a synagogue in Westchester, New York.[37] Fleischer's brother, Michael, worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

He is on the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition.[38]

In other media

Fleischer is portrayed by Rob Corddry in Oliver Stone's W., a biographical movie about George W. Bush.

References

  1. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (July 10, 2019). "Fox News Signs Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer as Contributor". Variety.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ Taking Heat: The President, the Press and My Years in the White House, page 1. (books.google)
  3. 1 2 3 "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Rebecca Davis, Ari Fleischer". The New York Times. November 10, 2002. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  4. ↑ Tom Tugend,"Q&A with Ari Fleischer", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, December 25, 2003.
  5. ↑ Warshaw, Shirley Anne (2013). Guide to the White House Staff. CQ Press. p. 271. ISBN 9781452234328.
  6. ↑ "The TV pundits are talking about the prospects for war with Iran, and it sounds a lot like 2003". The Washington Post. 2020.
  7. ↑ Matthews, Dylan (March 20, 2019). "George W. Bush really did lie about WMDs, and his aides are still lying for him". Vox. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Carney, James; Dickerson, John F. (May 27, 2003). "Advice to Ari Fleischer's Replacement". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Carson, Thomas L. (April 29, 2010). Lying and Deception: Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press. p. 213. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577415.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-172281-3.
  10. ↑ "U.N. 'Not Satisfied' With Iraqi Answers". www.cbsnews.com. January 10, 2003. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Jamieson, Kathleen Hall (2007). "Justifying the War in Iraq: What the Bush Administration's Uses of Evidence Reveal". Rhetoric and Public Affairs. 10 (2): 249–273. doi:10.1353/rap.2007.0038. ISSN 1094-8392. JSTOR 41940145. S2CID 144626494.
  12. ↑ "Bush: CIA Intelligence 'Darn Good'". www.cbsnews.com. July 15, 2003. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  13. ↑ "'Have respect for the dead': Ari Fleischer faces backlash after defending Bush on Iraq War anniversary". The Washington Post. 2019.
  14. ↑ Chivers, C.J.; Schmitt, Eric (February 15, 2015). "C.I.A. Is Said to Have Bought and Destroyed Iraqi Chemical Weapons". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  15. ↑ Jordan, Bryant (April 3, 2015). "Army Seeks to Identify Troops, Veterans Exposed to Chemical Weapons". Military.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  16. ↑ Levinson, Sanford (2003). "Precommitment and Postcommitment: The Ban on Torture in the Wake of September 11". Texas Law Review.
  17. ↑ Liptak, Eric Lichtblau With Adam (March 4, 2003). "THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE SUSPECT; Questioning to Be Legal, Humane and Aggressive, The White House Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Obama triggers firestorm in CIA interrogation case". Reuters. April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Cheney, Fleischer slam Obama on 'disgusting' torture probe". The Christian Science Monitor. August 25, 2009. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  20. ↑ Stein, Sam (September 24, 2009). "Fleischer: Torture Investigation "Disgusting;" Nadler: It's Too Limited". HuffPost. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  21. ↑ Pressman, Matt (April 30, 2009). "Ari Fleischer: Subpoena Me on Torture". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  22. ↑ O'Hara, Meghan (May 1, 2009). "ARI FLEISCHER "PROUD" TO ANSWER TORTURE SUBPOENA". HuffPost. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Press Secretary Briefings" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary The White House. July 7, 2003. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  24. ↑ Shuster, David (January 29, 2007). "Libby trial: Jurors taking note of Fleischer testimony". Hardball with Chris Matthews. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  25. ↑ Meek, James Gordon (January 30, 2007). "Fleischer says he leaked Plame's CIA employment". New York Daily News.
  26. 1 2 Leonnig, Carol D.; Goldstein, Amy (January 25, 2007). "Ex-CIA Official Testifies About Libby's Calls". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
  27. ↑ Dickerson, John (January 29, 2007). "My Surreal Day at the Libby Trial". Dispatches From the Scooter Libby Trial – via Slate.com.
  28. 1 2 "Prosecutor's Probe Centers on Rove, Memo, Phone Calls (Update2)". Bloomberg.com. July 18, 2005.
  29. ↑ Froomkin, Dan (April 11, 2005). "Cheney's Unforgivable Egotism". The Washington Post.
  30. ↑ Thiessen, Marc A. (July 26, 2022). "Why do people believe the 'big lie'? Because Americans don't trust the media". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Ari Fleischer Communications". fleischercommunications.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  32. ↑ Alberts, Sheldon (April 16, 2009). "PMO hires two former White House strategists". National Post. Washington. Canwest News Service. The Conservative government has hired two former White House communications strategists as part of a "sustained" effort to raise Canada's profile in the U.S. media — with Prime Minister Stephen Harper acting as salesman-in-chief, Canwest News Service has learned. The Prime Minister's Office yesterday said it had retained Mike McCurry, a former press secretary to Bill Clinton, and Ari Fleischer, who held the same job during George W. Bush's first term, on temporary contracts to help Mr. Harper land interviews with leading US television networks and newspapers.
  33. ↑ "Harper hired former Bush spokesman twice". CBC News. The Canadian Press. January 6, 2010.
  34. ↑ Lachman, Samantha (January 30, 2014). "Redskins GM Leans On GOP Consultants To Deflect 'Ignorant' Questions About Team's Name". HuffPost News. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  35. ↑ "CFP Media Consultant Ari Fleischer's Bad Publicity Tour Continues". News. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  36. 1 2 Kakutani, Michiko (March 1, 2005). "BOOKS OF THE TIMES - After Years of Taking Heat, Spokesman Takes Potshots". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 McKinstry, Jerry (April 4, 2016). "From Pound Ridge To Pennsylvania Ave—And Back". Westchester. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2018 – via westchestermagazine.com.
  38. ↑ "Ari Fleischer, Board of Directors". rjchq.org. Republican Jewish Coalition. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2009.

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