What does this mean? (Mrs. Knox to Dan Rather)

[ochazuke]

“These memos were not memos that you typed, and you don’t think they came directly out of his files,” Rather asked Knox.

“The information, yes,” says Knox. “It seems that somebody did see those memos, and then tried to reproduce and maybe changed them enough so that he wouldn’t get in trouble over it.”

-----

Why would changing them keep someone out of trouble? What is she thinking here?

[wurzel]

1. She said "he". Vocabulary changed from Guard to Army

So possibly it was a National Guardsman. And she knows who.

[splat]

2. no intent to deceive

Changing them was a way to preserve the substance of the information without risking a charge of forgery. They were deliberately different to distinguish them from the ones she typed.

[ochazuke]

3. That makes sense.

But, I'm still confused. Obviously the charge of forgery was risked and in fact made, so that didn't work out too well. With the signature on them, it's forgery no matter what was typed. But I see something in your line of thought. I guess it was either a Rove operative trying to discredit the AWOL charges, or (and I think more likely) a reproduction of an actual document made by Burkett or someone like him who saw the originals before Bush minions destroyed them.

Any other possibilities?

[splat]

5. possibilities

I think "forgery" and "fake" are being used too loosely. If they were re-created, whoever did it was looking at legal protection from a charge of counterfeiting government records, not anticipating Ann Coulter and a raft of headline writers.

They may be "real" in themselves we just don't know what they are: perhaps a draft of what he later had Mrs. Knox type, with language suggested by someone else (a higher-up, or a military lawyer friend who advised what to state and what to imply). Maybe several versions were floated among those who felt exposed by the pressure, caught between the rock and the hard place. Perhaps that person -- or his secretary -- was the original source. CYA as a subject line is intriguing, and hardly official. It seems more like an email subject line.

My gut says Rove wouldn't wouldn't to wave a red flag at investigative journalists and the army of armchair researchers online who just might come up with something buried very deep.

[Ravy]

4. Perhaps she mean's Killian as the one that would get in trouble...

and someone retyped and reworded them FOR Killian so they covered his butt a bit better. Killian could have re-signed the memos anytime before his death. No forgery involved.

Just a speculation.