Site uses cookies to provide basic functionality.

OK
Search Quotes tags
Query
Tags
Author
1 ▲ ▼
Link Quote Stars Tags Author
5dbbcec Forced by the Starr investigation, the president was to give testimony on the Paula Jones case any day now. Somehow Matt Drudge and his website received a leak. In response the president had signed a subpoenaed affidavit, legally sworn testimony denying any sexual relations with Paula Jones, the low-level Arkansas state employee who had accused him of sexual harassment, and more so, any relationship with Monica Lewinsky. He said they didn't.. Gary J. Byrne
69111c0 The Battle of Mogadishu on October 3, 1993, was part of Operation Restore Hope. We remember it now as "Black Hawk Down" from the novel (and subsequent film) of that name by an on-the-scene journalist, Mark Bowden. Army Rangers paid a heavy price for not looking "too intimidating" or "like invaders," valiantly fighting while stripped of the equipment they requested. Had the administration not ignorantly meddled with events, the 160 Special F.. Gary J. Byrne
d59d89b because I was there--in the spotlight, in the crosshairs--I realize better than most Americans that we have pretty much forgotten what an amateur-night, three-ring circus the Clinton White House was. But I haven't forgotten. I remember Monica, sure. But I remember Hillary, too: the shortcuts she took, the methods she employed, the yelling, the screaming, her disdain for "the little people," -- Gary J. Byrne
f0165b2 a lot of people have now forgotten what a Clinton White House was like. Millennials were too young to watch it firsthand. Their parents had to make them leave the room. Their parents had to make them leave the room. Think about that. Gary J. Byrne
46d5153 On Sunday, evening, May 2, 2015, in Garland, Texas, an active-shooter incident didn't end in a massacre. It ended when an armed police officer took the fight to the enemy, literally pushing toward them and killing the duo before they could massacre innocents in a crowded event center. Forget politics. Forget before and after. When the attack is initiated there is no negotiation, no thinking--only fighting, pushing, and close killing. The ev.. Gary J. Byrne
fcc8762 And here's what everyone missed: Benghazi shattered military and federal law enforcement morale. We all wondered, Will they come for us if we're attacked? Will they stand by us? Does "no man left behind" mean a damned thing? Will they even tell the truth after I'm gone?" Gary J. Byrne
064b7f1 Two decades ago the late New York Times columnist William Safire wrote: "Americans of all political persuasions are coming to the sad realization that our first lady--a woman of undoubted talents who was a role model for many in her generation--is a congenital liar." Gary J. Byrne
615a79e On 9/11 we vowed "Never forget." But we always somehow do. And because I was there--in the spotlight, in the crosshairs--I realize better than most Americans that we have pretty much forgotten what an amateur-night, three-ring circus the Clinton White House was. But I haven't forgotten. I remember Monica, sure. But I remember Hillary, too: the shortcuts she took, the methods she employed, the yelling, the screaming, her disdain for "the lit.. Gary J. Byrne
d052207 So my time really isn't done. I'll lay down my sword and now I've picked up my pen because I was there with the Clintons. I could not keep silent then, and I can't keep silent now. You and I have to do our jobs and take the heat when we mess up. If I so much as accidentally use my government credit card on a personal purchase, I immediately take the hit. Why do we expect any less from our leadership? From Clinton Inc.? Gary J. Byrne
3ada8a0 I repeat: To duplicate classified material without permission or to send it over an unsecured channel is completely illegal. That's why every government agency employs burn bags, safes, and special folders for anything marked Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. People have lost their careers and gone to jail for far less. Yet Hillary Clinton transmitted classified material by the figurative ton. No one else can operate like that in govern.. Gary J. Byrne
95a1e32 Discussing Clinton's behavior (however, tangentially) during my deposition made 1600 Pennsylvania seemed more like a late-night red-light district than a national institution. Gary J. Byrne
d6206ea Technically it was FLOTUS's job to extend the invitations, but the idea that Mrs. Clinton would take responsibility for someone under her command? Laughable. I surely never saw it. Gary J. Byrne
abaf860 I testified that the incident had traveled up the chain of command to the sergeant and the watch commander. I informed them that even in discussing the incident among ourselves within UD, we remained circumspect. An attorney asked why. The real answer, which I also couldn't say, was to save ourselves from being dragged through the mud like this. The less you knew, the safer you were. Not to mention, we simply feared the Clintons. Gary J. Byrne
47071ac Not long after my video deposition, I was talking to a Secret Service colleague who worked the West Wing Lobby. He had just resumed his shift after returning from his own testimony. The president had just visited him. That was extremely suspicious--my associate was spooked. "He just came out and came straight up to me like--like he was looking for me. Yeah, and he asked how I was by name. We chatted--like small talk--like normal. And then h.. Gary J. Byrne
5f937e3 Monday afternoon, August 17, 1998, while still at the White House, President Bill Clinton became the first president to appear before a grand jury and testify regarding his own actions. It was videotaped just the way ours was, but he also appeared "live" (though remotely) to that grand jury via closed-circuit TV. Now he was cornered and finally had to pay the piper--or at least tell some portion of the truth. We all held our breath. That ni.. Gary J. Byrne
2641919 In typical Billary fashion, they claimed they hadn't created the problem. The media had, the Republicans, the lawyers--anyone but them. He was sorry, he said. I couldn't stand it anymore. Gary J. Byrne
842c2c4 I told them that we officers recognized we had made a mistake even discussing it, but I had put the snare on myself. We had discussed the story because we were tired, wound up, overworked, and frustrated at the corruption and the bullshit. We hated hanging tight and wading through the new culture that consumed the White House. We knew not to talk about that stuff, because it could implicate us in a legal fray. I was compelled to tell the tr.. Gary J. Byrne
2dea3ea It was all because of Monica. No, it was all because of Bill and Mrs. Clinton and the way they governed. Gary J. Byrne
f9de454 Amateurs train until they get it right; professionals train until they get it wrong. Gary J. Byrne
789985d He never apologized to us. He never apologized for putting us in that position. He lied out of both ends of his mouth, blaming the Secret Service while saying he wanted to be forthcoming but couldn't--two lies in one! He and his staff created the Protective Function Privilege. He was the one who did the deed, committed the misconduct. He was the one who lied. Not only did he never apologize for costing the taxpayers, the Justice Department,.. Gary J. Byrne
509a93b Byrne," I said. Cops answer phones like cops even when they're home. "They f--d us, Gary! They f--ed us!" "Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Who f--ed us? What are--?" "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! Are you watching? They f--ed us, Gary! They released the g-ddamn tapes! Our depositions are playing on the damn television. We're all over the g-ddamn news! They're showing our faces!" She kept repeating" Gary J. Byrne
1490dec A Justice Department lawyer soon explained to me that his department technically hadn't lied. Nobody technically lies in this game, it seems. The department didn't release the tapes to the public, but it knew damn well that it was going to release all its evidence to Congress, and once Congress got its own hands on the evidence, it would release as much or as little of it as it pleased. Congress released our tapes and more than three thousa.. Gary J. Byrne
08851cb Nothing was more embarrassing for this nation than the release of the president's grand jury testimony. Starr's investigators asked him to corroborate--or contradict--the sworn, often protected-by-immunity testimony of Monica, presidential staff members, Secret Service agents, and UD officers like myself. But his lies--and his earlier actions--trapped him in a painful, steel-strong web. Not even his elaborate legal weaseling could free him... Gary J. Byrne
3324ed8 Eleanor Mondale and Monica Lewinsky could not satiate the president's horndog sexual desires. There were many others. I saw plenty of awkward run-ins and drama with other officers and staff. President Clinton had difficulty managing where he saw his many mistresses, whether it was at the White House or on the road. It baffled the Uniformed Division as to how he could manage all these women without any of them realizing there were so many ot.. Gary J. Byrne
3c18518 Staffers entered through the Old Executive Office Building (the Eisenhower Building), and it was a magnet for various and sundry weirdos. A polite, well-dressed, and impeccably groomed guy got in line. No problem. Secret Service checked his bag. A-okay. He chitchatted with the officers. All was normal. Yet the staffer was sockless on one foot. For some reason, he handed an officer the missing sock. "Oh, and I guess I give you this," he said.. Gary J. Byrne
58c5052 As I listened to his cunning, scripted message, I became even angrier. He never apologized to us. He never apologized for putting us in that position. He lied out of both ends of his mouth, blaming the Secret Service while saying he wanted to be forthcoming but couldn't--two lies in one! He and his staff created the Protective Function Privilege. He was the one who did the deed, committed the misconduct. He was the one who lied. Not only di.. Gary J. Byrne
f999788 Just last year, Mrs. Clinton claimed that as secretary of state she didn't carry a work phone. It was too cumbersome and inconvenient for her to carry two phones. She didn't have room for them. Then we learned she carried an iPhone and BlackBerry, neither government issued nor encrypted. Then we learned she carried an iPad and an iPad mini. But she claimed she didn't do email. Then we learned she had email--on a private server. But then she.. Gary J. Byrne
d7c315e Let's say it straight out: Hillary Clinton lied about the reason for the Benghazi attack. She lied about it to the nation as a whole and she lied right to the faces of the grieving family members of those who died there--and then lied about her lying. And she keeps telling Americans one huge, disgusting lie after another. As I wrap up writing this book, Hillary has claimed that we "didn't lose a single person" in Libya. Really? Try telling .. Gary J. Byrne
42114cf She thought she was being tough--in command--but the issue commanded her. Gary J. Byrne
8e04be8 I dreamed of becoming an elite White House Secret Service officer, a member of its Uniformed Division. Nothing more--and certainly nothing less. My dream came true. I stood guard, a pistol at my hip, outside the Oval Office, the last barrier before anyone saw Bill Clinton. The last barrier before Monica Lewinsky saw Bill Clinton. Yes, I'm that Secret Service officer. I saw Monica, and I saw a lot more. I saw Hillary, too. I witnessed her ob.. Gary J. Byrne
b641082 We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training. Gary J. Byrne
8161d1c Character in leadership comes down to two questions: Would you trade places with anyone under your command? Do you hold yourself to the same level of accountability as those for whom you bear responsibility? leadership Gary J. Byrne
499e8e9 Were his misdeeds sufficient reason to strip him from office? He'd perjured himself, ruined his own reputation, tarnished the presidency, and damaged if not destroyed the careers, reputations, and lives of a great many people, from myself to Monica to many of his staff. And for what? Gary J. Byrne
c694523 The Clintons directed others to lie for them, never in writing (as far as I knew), but I had seen lying firsthand. Their culture of corruption had pushed me out of my post and eventually from the White House. I feared it would push me from the Service as well. Many in the Service just said, "I don't remember," "I'm not sure," "I don't recall," or "I can neither confirm nor deny," or they obstructed justice by constantly standing by privileg.. Gary J. Byrne
106f251 On Monday afternoon, August 17, 1998, while still at the White House, President Bill Clinton became the first president to appear before a grand jury and testify regarding his own actions. It was videotaped just the way ours was, but he also appeared "live" (though remotely) to that grand jury via closed-circuit TV. Now he was cornered and finally had to pay the piper--or at least tell some portion of the truth. We all held our breath. That.. Gary J. Byrne
f3eed0e He said emphatically and fervently, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." It was his word against ours with a titillated world watching. Only because of Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue dress, and Ken Starr could the truth set us all free." Gary J. Byrne
dd43875 People still think the Lewinsky affair was one political party making a big deal over a little extra pie on the side; it wasn't. What Starr proved was that the president had engaged in inappropriate sexually related workplace conduct with an intern/employee, as he had with other women. Some women, such as Juanita Broaddrick, even alleged he had assaulted them. He had zero integrity in this area, and that made everything he did suspect and u.. Gary J. Byrne
b2a2289 Don't shit where you eat. Don't harass and screw interns and staff for the same reason. If someone can't see how they jeopardize the mission by not being able to see past temptation, they aren't fit for the job. I heard my old TI's mottos, "The little mistakes get the wrong people killed!" Gary J. Byrne
2fcb199 People like Monica and the entire Clinton Machine should never have had access to classified national security-related intelligence or enjoyed leadership positions. Their irresponsibility had consequences. Good men died from it--both in Mogadishu and Benghazi. We had friends die from exhaustion or from falling asleep at the wheel while ensuring the Secret Service mission of protecting the president. To die for a man of character--I can live.. Gary J. Byrne
1 ▲ ▼