AZ Sheriff Issues Gag Order for Giffords Shooting Investigators
- Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:15pm by
Meredith Jessup
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The Pima County Sheriff’s department has “suddenly turned off the flow of information” surrounding the January 8 Tucson shooting incident, KGUN reports.
On Wednesday, a department spokesman issued this bizarrely brief statement:
Until further notice, due to a controversy between the Sheriff‘s Department and the County Attorney’s office, no further information reference the January 8, 2011 shooting will be released.
The spokesman offered no further information about the “controversy,” and the statement abruptly canceled a number of previously scheduled interviews, including a live on-air interview with the Sheriff‘s Bureau Chief Richard Kastigar and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
KGUN notes how the seemingly sudden decision to end public comments from the department contrasts with Sheriff Clarence Dupnik’s past availability to respond to media inquiries following the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:
The statement cuts off what had been a generous and open flow of information from the Sheriff’s Department — information that had at times captivated the entire nation. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has been making the local and national media rounds himself for days, appearing on CNN as recently as Tuesday. On Saturday Kastigar appeared in an ABC News town hall meeting on the shooting aftermath, hosted by network anchor Christiane Amanpour, which was broadcast to the nation on Sunday.
Kastigar has been quoted recently as saying that the security tapes from the morning of the shooting were crystal clear and showed exactly what happened when a lone gunman opened fire.
The sheriff’s department had been so diligent about sharing information with the public that it established a web page just for information about the shooting. That web page is still available — with the most recent posting advising of the information shut-off.
In addition, Dupnik has made frequent appearances on national airwaves to air his own political opinions. On Tuesday, Dupnik told the Washington Post that he has received support — most notably from Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Robert F. Kennedy — and negative backlash, including emails from Rush Limbaugh’s radio audience in response to his candid comments:
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Comments (122)
Upsetcitizen
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:17pmNever let a tragedy go to waste. Maybe if Jared Lee Loughner gets acquitted because of Clarence Dupnik miss handling of the case. The left can try and pass new laws to bypass the judicial system all together and let people like Dupnik be judge and executioner.
Report Post »fastfwd
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:11pmWhat ?? Now ?? what about the day it happened and this big nose opened his big stupid mouth !
Report Post »UpstateNYConservative
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:05pmIf Loughner walks–and I believe he will–the blame rests solely on the Dupe and the MSM.
Time will tell, of course, but I think this a “Gotcha” moment for our side. And, we didn’t have to lift a finger to do it. We didn’t get out there, we didn’t protest. We didn’t rally, we didn’t do a boycott.
No, we didn’t. The Left did it for us, against its own self, all on its own.
Report Post »mndjohnson
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:58pmThe problem is the left can’t control their lemmings. They want the lemmings to continue to be out there blaming everyone but the the ones who are entirely accountable, and the Progressives keep stiring the cauldron. Get the useful idiots so their hands do not get soiled.
Report Post »streetrodder
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:55pmA gag order, Dupe Nick is the only one running off at the mouth.
Report Post »donh2
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:52pmIt looks like they have finally asked Sherriff Dupnick for a DNA sample to paternity test Jared on growing suspicions he is Dupnick’s illegitimate son.
Report Post »UpstateNYConservative
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:51pmGood thing I‘m not a one of Dupe’s deputies. I’d be singing against him like a flock of canaries.
Report Post »iamDonJuantino
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:51pmThis guy must have an I.Q. of at least three points below plant life! I might be actually being too generous….
Report Post »iamDonJuantino
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:47pmthis man made fools of the MSM, and himself! since the facts reveal him to be an imbecilic partisan hack, a role usually reserved for pundits, I imagine he’s having trouble showing his face; at least he should, but who can fathom the illogical process of the minds of the left?
Report Post »since the left has given the world Hitler, a socialist; Stalin, a communist; Mao, another communist; as well as the likes of Pol Pot, Kim Jung Il, Castro, Chavez, and others, with an associated death toll , in the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS, one would think that the world would have learned by now that socialism, and communism—the practices of the left, are but prelude to mass murder as well as totalitarian police states! So much for the “civility” of these “stupid-topian” mongrels! Is this an inconvenient truth? You betcha!
spirited
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:44pmA bit late; –No?
Seeing and hearing his rush to judgement, “I don’t have the evidence yet” interviews
Report Post »>probably makes him gag (over, and over… again)
Rickfromillinois
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:44pm“Due to a controversy between the Sheriff‘s Department and the County Attorney’s office”, in other words the Attorney’s office told him to shut up and stop blathering about is political opinions to anyone who will listen because he is harming their case. He has already made it more difficult for them to get the death penalty. The killer’s lawyers are going to show a few of the clips of Sheriff Dupnik saying that the killer was brain washed by the Republicans, the Right, Limbaugh, Palin, Fox news, Beck, Levin, and who knows who else. If the Dupnik is going around saying that “there’s not a doubt in my mind” garbage then the lawyers will have a good chance of getting him out of the death penalty.
Report Post »Dupnik is screwing things up with his constant spewing of his Left wing garbage so the only thing that surprises me that it took so long for someone to tell him to shut up.
UpstateNYConservative
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:42pmClassic CYA here.
Dupe Nick went out before the public before his time, talking shiite, and now he has to scramble since facts and truth called him on his own self. The MSM, which I bet he counted on, all but destroyed itself in its convolutions; they weren’t the saving grace Dupe hoped for.
Now it’s time for him to duck and cover. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ll chip in a few pennies for school desk under which he can hide.
The Left is imploding, they are their own worst nightmare. Let’s keep up the pressure!
Report Post »starman70
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 3:07pmGO Rush,GO! Sheriff Dipstick will have to eat his own words!
Report Post »jctunink
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:40pmHere’s the problem. Everyone should remember that the Shooter needs a fair trial. The Dolt Sheriff, in all his news pressers may have compromised the ability of the courts to seat a “Fair and Impartial Jury of the Accused Peers” causing more issues. Right now, they are talking of a change of venue due to the publicity this dolt has gotten. Where are they going to get a Jury of 12 impartial people? From the Norks? This sheriff, if he were a true Law Enforcement Officer would have remembered his 1st responsibility was to Justice and the Law, NOT his politics. Even if the killer admits guilt, he’ll have a trial if they go for the death penalty.
Report Post »UpstateNYConservative
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:44pmInadvertently, the sheriff poisoned the jury pool by getting all kinds of political. I’d be just as cheesed if a Conservative acted as did this liberal.
Aweful…
Report Post »psycodad36
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:49pmtotally agree ,he might have compramised the prossicution of this case .should have shut up on day (1)
Report Post »Upsetcitizen
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:55pmThat’s right; a good layer will say they can’t get a fair trial in the US. Even the president called him a mad man. Way too much info got let out. Way too much publicity with top dogs putting in their two cents.
Report Post »flyguync
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:17pmApparently, the DA figured out this Dupnik was jeopardizing the case against the shooter – I had that figured out after the guy’s first interview.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 6:05pmLets roundup OJ’s jury.
Report Post »psycodad36
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:32pmwell now that the good sheriff ran all over the country to tell his OPINIONS, everyone else has to shut up.he should have done that along time ago himself,I don’t see deputies out there all day making false accusations, and spreading farce for fact.what an arzz
Report Post »RLTW
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 11:07pmI’d say they just found out the killer is a big Keith OlberPOS fan, that or the investigation proves complacency.
Report Post »Paleo Archer
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:32pmWhat do you expect from a Democrat…Open mouth, insert a$$…He‘s just following Kieth Odoperman’s way of conducting journalism.
Report Post »fertlmind
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:30pmthis guy should run for congress,…he’d fit right in.
Report Post »Who owns this info anyway? Him or the citizens of arizona?
somebody must have figured out it was all Dupniks fault.
Muslim in Chief
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:29pmSo the only one who can spew forth venom is him…is that how this works?
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:28pmCover up!
Report Post »BoilitDown
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:27pmUntil all the evidence is in, I don’t believe in feeding the rumor mills. That is with the caveat that all information will be available in the end.
Report Post »orcainohio
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:27pmOnce a dipstick always a dipstick. Jeffy must be the son dipstick always wanted
Report Post »MozarkDawg
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:27pm>The statement cuts off what had been a generous and open flow of information from the Sheriff’s Department …
*****
I think they got the noun wrong in this phrase — oh, there was a generous flow alright, but it wasn’t information, it was ‘B’arbra ‘S’treisand disguised as “opinion.”
Report Post »GONESURFING
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:25pmNow that Dupnik has found the real culprit, Rush Limbaugh, what more needs to be said, what a joke this Dupnik is.
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:24pmI hope it includes himself
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:55pmToo bad he didn’t issue that gag order before he opened his big mouth. If this case is screwed up it falls squarely on his shoulders.
Report Post »blanco
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:21pmNothing to see here, move along, move along…..
Report Post »Insipid
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:24pmWho wha ?? “Roll over and back to sleep”
Report Post »what4
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:30pmNo cover up to see….move along……no, “ I screwed up” here…..move along! Aww, Dipstick, just step down you OLD fool!
Report Post »P C BE DAMNED
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:36pmI didn’t hear much about facts just biased opinions. These people with such lame opinions and unsound ideas are so much like the tall children of college age who think they have all the answers and usually by the time a person reaches his late 40s they realize mom and dad were pretty smart. I would like to ask this crowd if they mature to this point. And by the way you are not our better you just are not embarassed to say you are. We the little common man are actually far superior to those with the slave owner mentality. WE WILL NOT WEAR YOUR CHAINS!
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:45pmStrange that Dupmik was all mouth before any investigation and now that the truth is coming out, he wants silence.
Could it be that the investigation will shine a bad light on him and his office?
I guess the Sheriff is telling his people, DON’T BE A DUPNIK!!!
Report Post »APatriotFirst
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:45pmIn English this means….
Report Post »County Attorney: shut the hell up sheriff or this guys gets off. You have given him a defense to use.
thunder4570
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:00pmand negative backlash, including emails from Rush Limbaugh’s radio audience in response to his candid comments……. I dont listen to Rush but I emailed the Pima sheriff dept about what a ding-a-ling the top law enforcement officer has been. I searched the web and found the email all by myself, did not need prompting or encouragement from any one!
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:19pmoh GOD not this loon again , so does this means he’s going to shut the … up ?
Report Post »STUBBYK
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:21pmGives Dipstick time to taint the evidence against the TRUTH. It was Sarah that pulled the trigger.NOT!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 9:50pmDipstik ..you can’t hide the truth forever .. you slandered others to take the heat off you…the TRUTH will come out!
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 10:10pmLike you, Thunder, I was absolutely astounded that any law enforcement official, elected or otherwise, would spew forth so much biased information. I sat down and wrote a real letter, on stationary, to the Arizona Attorney General and politely requested an investigation into the situation. I also sent a copy of letter to Governor Brewer. The reason I didn’t send an email is that I happen to know that politicans take actual letters seriously and assume that for each letter, there are anywhere between 5 and 10 people who didn’t write. Then I posted the mailing addresses on The Blaze and encouraged others to write.
While I am not a resident of Arizona, which I admitted right up front in the letter, I did also mention that the Sheriff’s irresponsible remarks were putting the State in a very poor light. I figure that if the AG’s office started getting sacks of mail about this, they would realize that it was serious.
Also, one really good way to compromise an ongoing investigation is to have officials talking about it. Of course, since the suspect’s mother works for Pima County, having the whole thing thrown out of court is probably what Sheriff Dupnik wanted in the first place.
Report Post »TotallyBelievableGuy
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 10:32pmSounds like an internal problem.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on January 19, 2011 at 8:18pmCover up? Why was the sheriff department not at the gathering?
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 7:41amIt’s gonna be interesting to learn to what extent BOTH Dipstisk AND Owe-bama have damaged the case against the killer.
Report Post »Marcobob69
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 8:02amSomebody should have ordered a “gag” for Dupnik!!! Another case of foot in mouth by the loony left!!!
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 8:57amI understand why Sherriff Dope-nik doesn’t want anyone to talk about the shooting but him. He doesn‘t want anyone to undo the meme he’s built.
Report Post »indy1
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 9:01amDid Ethel tell Dupenik he should RESIGN WITH HONOR?
Report Post »mill
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 10:09amThe sheriff needs to “gag order” himself…
Report Post »richauthor
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 10:21amThis is good, because I gag everytime I read something from Sheriff Potatohead.
Report Post »Independent Tess
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 10:28amFrom the beginning I thought he was covering up his own incompetence with his immediate attack on the right. They ignored their many contacts with this guy where they could have shut him down at any number of points.
Report Post »tower7femacamp
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 1:13pmIn Title V of the Patriot Act, it discusses National Security Letters (NSL). An NSL is a demand for the release of information and paperwork related to a person under investigation. The Patriot Act makes NSLs much stronger, allows them to be used against U.S. citizens and contains a gag order preventing the target of the NSL from ever knowing about it or telling anyone else about it. There is no judicial review or need for probable cause when an NSL is requested and issued.
2) Right of Due Process and Trial by Jury
The Patriot Act allows detainment of material witnesses and terrorist suspects without access to lawyers, hearings or formal charges. Complete erosions of the 5th and 6th Amendments. These rights can be striped from you by suspicion alone.
Report Post »pajamash
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 5:14pmThis cowboy is a piece of work. “I don’t have a political agenda”…sure sounds like you do. Also sounds like you have a personal agenda.
Report Post »pajamash
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 5:34pmI would guess the DA‘s office has finally gotten tired of this Sherriff’s “Cowboy antics” (something the left loved saying about Bush) and asked a judge for the gag order. This sherriff has single-handedly built Jared Loughner’s defense. It‘ll almost be a slam dunk for Loughner’s legal team to build a defense after Cowboy Clarence has run his mouth off. It’ll be a combination of instanity plea after being tainted by the political rhetoric.
Report Post »CultureWarriors
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 7:06pmWhat do you expect? This tragedy happened because the sheriff didn’t do his job and it was more than likely because of insider influence given the fact that Loughner was the son of a fellow Democrat on the county payroll. Sheriff Dupnik’s got some explaining to do. Maybe he should step down so an independent investigator can get the facts.
Report Post »LisaC49
Posted on January 20, 2011 at 7:23pmYes, it certainly would be interesting to know exactly to what extent the damage was done — or perhaps they MEANT to damage the case, knowing full well that it would create outrage, especially within that particular community. Remember what Rahm Emmanuel stated; “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” I guess that would also apply to how the memorial turned into a campaign pep rally for Obama, complete with “Together We Thrive” tee-shirts, issued out (along with other items) by the Obama brownshirts — or his Organizing For America robots.
Report Post »OutOfTheAether
Posted on January 21, 2011 at 6:51pm“what had been a generous and open flow of information from the Sheriff’s Department” Are you Serious??!! In Dupnick case it was “generous and open flow” of blow hard OPINION.
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