More on Jeff Gannon - James Guckert

Steve Clemons asks the interesting question of whether Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert Be Turned? That is, could he be converted from conservative flack to a useful member of the liberal community exposing the dirty tricks of the conservatives as was David Brock?

It is an interesting question. Guckert has obviously been tightly connected into conservative politics, possibly because he had blackmail-type material on some insiders, and certainly because they had material on him. What did they have on him? Well, he was a gay prostitute. Let's look at that.

Was Guckert really a member of the Marine Corps Reserves? (USMCPT - US Marine Corps Part Time - See John Aravosis' excellent but disturbing investigative work.) If he was, then he ran the danger of getting kicked out for being Gay under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

If he was open to blackmail, that is the most likely source. It is gone now. He is out. It seems to me that he would be more amenable to switching.

However, if his access to the White House briefings came from a highly placed White House lover, he may still feel that he has an in to the administration and feel "protected" by his knowledge.

Getting him to switch would be similar to the effort an intelligence agency puts into converting a spy or defector. The administration could be expected to react as though that was exactly what was happening.

But Guckert is clearly vulnerable to that type approach - by ANY intelligence agency in the world, as well as by liberals who want him to switch. That is why he is also a threat to national security.

It is this last vulnerability that makes his strange actions and the even stranger actions of the White House to clear him daily to briefings that makes this more than just an attack on him for "personal reasons."

Guckert was never permitted attend Congressional press conferences. Permission to those is granted by the media reporters themselves. He also never had normal clearance to the White House press conferences. That is why he had to get cleared daily.

If he can be approached and convinced to come clean, he can tell who was clearing him. And why?

If I were Guckert I would consider getting a body guard to watch his back and let him sleep. Which might be another lever to convince him to switch sides. Once he has told his story, he is a lot safer than he is right now.