The Sleuth

The Sleuth: "Posted at 9:09 AM ET, 08/14/2008
Walter Jones, From Freedom Fries to Anti-Bush Tomes

Posted at 9:09 AM ET, 08/14/2008
Walter Jones, From Freedom Fries to Anti-Bush Tomes

Question: Which southern conservative Republican congressman who voted to authorize war with Iraq recently is a big fan of Vincent Bugliosi's provocative new book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," on tape?

Hint: The guy from the Carolinas who, during the lead-up to the war in 2003, renamed French fries "freedom fries" in House eateries but who later concluded the president took the country to war under false pretenses and soon began calling for troop withdrawal.
Book Jacket

And while Bugliosi himself would neither "confirm nor deny" the mystery congressman is Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), he didn't need to. He described Jones to a tee without ever uttering the congressman's name.

Bugliosi, the lawyer whose biggest claim to fame is prosecuting Charles Manson, tells us a "conservative Southern congressman" called him on June 16 to say he had listened to "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" on tape and loved it. "He said he bought several copies of the book and told colleagues, 'Here -- read this book. We've been lied to.'"

In a subsequent phone conversation, Bugliosi says he asked Mr. Southern Conservative Congressman if it would be better that the author not disclose the name of his biggest Republican fan on Capitol Hill. The congressman, according to Bugliosi, replied, "It's better that my name not come out at this point. But I promise you that after the election I'll be standing there by your side."

A source close to the author confirmed to us that the congressman in question is, indeed, North Carolina's Jones. But Bugliosi says he won't name the congressman because he believes him to be "a man with a deep conscience." He says he's worried the congressman "may lose his reelection" if his constituents find out he's been reading a book that espouses the president's prosecution for murder for invading Iraq.

Jones has openly complained about the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, including the Pentagon's ban on media coverage and photos of the arrival of fallen service members at military installations. He recently told the Jacksonville Daily News, "To me, it's like an administration doesn't want people to be reminded there is a war."

Jones, a seven-term incumbent, is running for re-election in his district that encompasses the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune. He declined to return repeated calls and emails through both his chief of staff and press secretary seeking comment about Bugliosi's book.

But we hear from another source that Jones was wild for Bugliosi's anti-Bush tome. Mike Hirsch, a grassroots activist with the group Progressive Democrats of America, tells us he met Congressman Jones during a recent visit to Capitol Hill and discussed Bugliosi's book with him. Hirsch claims Jones was "thrilled and excited, very exuberant about the book."

According to Hirsch, Jones was "raving" about the book. "It took me aback," Hirsch told us. He said it "struck me as unusual that you'd have a Christian conservative from the South" talking about a book that espouses the prosecution of President Bush for murder.

All we can say is, Jones has come a long way in his personal odyssey from eating freedom fries to reading books whose titles suggest Bush be jailed for war crimes.