Did Erich 'Mancow Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity?

Did Erich 'Mancow Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity?

Yesterday we showed you video of Erich "Mancow" Muller, a Chicago-based right-wing shockjock, appearing as a guest on Keith Olbermann's show to discuss his being waterboarded. He claimed it led to an ideological conversion! But now a tipster has provided information that suggests the whole thing may be a hoax.

The information provided to Gawker by our tipster came in a series of emails and is somewhat layered, so we'll try to lay it all out as unconfusingly as possible. Where the story begins is last Thursday afternoon, the day before Mancow was scheduled to be waterboarded, when the person slated to do the waterboarding suddenly backed out, sending Mancow's publicity team into a mild frenzy to find someone to replace him. A chain of emails followed, emails that were subsequently forwarded to Gawker by our tipster.

-snip-
From:
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 at 1:15 PM
To:
Subject: URGENT

Don't shoot the messenger

Mancow has been promoting all week that he is getting waterboarded tomorrow between 8-9am on-air. We have camera crew shooting it for WGN

The swat guy he had to do the waterboarding now can't do it. Do you know any military guy that might come down to WLS radio tomorrow (190 N. State Street) to waterboard Mancow????

Kathy said you know lots of military guys that might do it...or a policeman or fireman or EMT.

HELP

Linda Shafran
Jerry Springer Show
454 N. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60611
PH:
cell:
Email:

Kupcinet, or "Kuppy," responded a few minutes later:

From:
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 at 1:28 PM
To:
Subject: Re: URGENT

What exactly do you mean? You mean really tortured? What exactly would it consist of and do they need to bring gear or does Cow have what he needs or what?

Get back to me quick an ill find u a guy.

Kuppy

(P.S. Love you)

Sent from my iPhone

Now, here's the key email in the exchange, with Shafran saying in no uncertain terms that the whole thing is being staged as a hoax:

From:
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 at 1:38 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: URGENT

You are a ROCK STAR!!!

It is going to have to look "real" but of course would be simulated with Mancow acting like he is drowning. It will be a hoax but have to look real. Would be great if they could dress in fatigues and bring whatever is needed. We will supply the water

xxxx

Linda Shafran
Jerry Springer Show
454 N. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60611
PH:
cell:
Email:

After getting this email from Shafran, David Kupcinet suggested she contact Marine Sgt. Clay South, the person who eventually carried out Mancow's waterboarding. We include this next email only because we find the compensation offer extended to South from Mancow via Shafran to be somewhat amusing:

From:
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 at 2:02 PM
To:
Subject: MANCOW WAS ALL OVER IT

I tried to call you but got voicemail. I talked to Mancow and he said "Are you kidding - of course he can mention the charity and talk about his experiences over there"

I am going to call Klay now. Mancow will pay gas and parking.

Linda Shafran
Jerry Springer Show
454 N. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60611
PH:
FX:
Email:
-snip-

http://gawker.com/5271813/did-erich-mancow-muller-fake-his-waterboarding-for-publicity?skyline=true&s=x

anyway because of that fact. Their staged guy pulled out and a real Military guy got in there. The only thing is they didn't have him with his feet raised.

But he didn't.

If it was staged he wouldn't have said what he did about it being "torture"!

. . .and really did it.

:rofl:

Everything in pro wrestling is worked and everythig Mancow has done is worked. It would not surprised me that this was worked.

Canned conflicts, scripted debates, pre-arranged/predetermined outcomes, etc

his torture session may not have been pefect, but it was close enough for him to see it was torture.

a good conservative just can't come out and say he is against torture committed by our military and intelligence agencies. but actually trying it adds an air of legitimacy that easily fools his conservative fans and actually makes them pause to consider the issue.

of course i realize that would be giving him way too much credit, as the conservatives are fans of torture because it IS torture and would never change their stance when they realize how traumatic it is.

they just can't take the truth.

You say the sky is blue? YOU FOOL!! That's just what the Illuminati want you to think!!

i mean, it proved him wrong... why would any right winger wanna prove themselves wrong intentionally?


puh-lease...
sounds like right wingers trying to do whatever they can to discredit it..

And a toe in the door for many who will remember that he was "fair" about waterboarding being torture unlike most conservatives. Many of us have no idea who Mancow was or what ideas he has spouted in the past, all we know is this waterboarding stunt. Some may be slightly more inclined to listen to him because he admitted it was torture than we would other right wing radio personalities.

And he gets that name recognition as an intro into doing more TV appearances, so more $$$ in the future and more public exposure.