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'Mancow' Waterboarding May Have Been a Hoax

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted May 29, 2009 11:59 AM CDT

(Newser) – Erich “Mancow” Muller’s on-air waterboarding was a hoax, an anonymous tipster tells Gawker, forwarding a seemingly damning e-mail exchange between the shock jock’s publicist and a veterans group she was hoping could find a torturer. “It is going to have to look ‘real,’” wrote Jerry Springer alum Linda Shafran, “but of course would be simulated with Mancow acting like he is drowning. It will be a hoax but have to look real.”

Asked about the email, Shafran replied, “I mistakenly said it would be staged…but that was early on and NOT TRUE AT ALL. When it happened several days later, it was real.” But the e-mail is dated May 21—Mancow was waterboarded the next day, not “several days later.” The anonymous tipster says he shared the info with Keith Olbermann’s producers before Mancow appeared on Countdown, but they went ahead with the segment anyway.

[Images (1)]

[Videos (2)]

A screenshot from Countdown with Keith Olbermann, showing a Erich "Mancow" Muller's alleged waterboarding.

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Erich "Mancow" Muller appears on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Was it all a hoax? (msnbc)

Christopher Hitchens is waterboarded for Vanity Fair. Gawker notes some differences between this and Mancow's waterboarding; Mancow wasn't restrained, for example, and his mouth wasn't covered. (YouTube)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 16 comments

lonewolf17

May 30, 2009 7:21 AM CDT

I dont get people who say waterboarding isnt torture. If it isnt torture then what's the point? The point is to get information, and if you aren't TORTURING someone, they won't give you information. So if you are for waterboarding, then YOU ARE FOR TORTURE, regardless of any justifications for it.

Doctor-Zaius

May 30, 2009 5:32 AM CDT

Funny, that's not what Jesse Ventura said. See, he was a Navy SEAL and went through SERE training. He seems to have a different opinion then you do. Apparently watching "24" doesn't qualify you as a torture expert.

Doctor-Zaius

May 30, 2009 5:29 AM CDT

Anyone familiar with this douchebag's show knows he is a colossal liar. Actually calling Man-whore a douchebag is an insult to douchebags everywhere.

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torture • MSNBC • Keith Olbermann • waterboarding • hoax • Erich "Mancow" Muller • Countdown • Linda Shafran

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