Rebuttal To The KATU News Report
Regarding My Husband, Fritz Springmeier

The above two statements stand in stark contrast to one another. The actual statement (blue text) was spoken by the most courageous man I have ever met in my life. The paraphrased statement (brown text) is a fiction that was attributed to the same man--my husband, Fritz Springmeier--by Eric Mason of KATU News (the local CBS affiliate) and John Stevens of International News in their KATU News report. How Mason and Stevens sat together in the courtroom, right behind me, with notebooks and pens in hand and yet bungled so audible a statement is beyond my comprehension. For the purpose of this rebuttal, KATU's statements will be in brown and my response will be in blue.

Prior to sentencing, we had originally wanted to forward a simple communication from Fritz to let you all know that everything is OK and that we are seeking a retrial through several justifications. However, because there was so much fiendish innuendo and so many blatant lies contained in the KATU / Stevens report; we are obligated at this point to simply refute each false allegation one-by-one. I must add that in view of the latitude given law enforcement since the RICO act and 911, if they truly had such evidence against my husband, he would be charged and tried for Conspiracy to Commit Terrorist Acts. District attorney Frank Noonan says that "We had to have more to make that kind of a case". Thus, the real agenda for spreading such yellow journalism locally, is that it will ruin Fritz' chances for getting an untainted jury should one of the the appeals be successful-and of course-bring mainstream recognition to the so-called journalist, John Stevens. So, what about this "evidence"?

"A list of possible terror targets compiled by an ultra-right wing group, including government buildings and other facilities were made public Thursday as a federal judge sentenced a Portland area man for his part in a 1997 bank robbery."

FACT: This statement makes it sound as if the judge included it in his sentencing decree--which he did not. Furthermore, none of this "evidence" was spoken of at all in the courtroom. Notice how the article and video contain the typical "cover-your-legal-rear-end" qualifiers such as "possible terror targets", "evidence suggesting" and accusations disguised as questions.

"After the sentencing of Fritz Springmeier, a self-described religious author, Clackamas County Sheriff deputies revealed a loose-leaf binder seized in 2001 as a part of the case."

FACT: The loose-leaf binder was found on the Huntington property where Tony Huntington and Forrest Bateman lived. The handwriting in the loose-leaf binder is definitely not Fritz'. Furthermore, although Fritz makes no secret that he is a Christian, he has never described himself as a religious author.

The video presentation shows a cache of illegal weapons, an Army of God armband and the loose-leaf binder, all obtained during a raid, leaving the viewer to assume that these items were found on our property. An anonymous source, interviewed gives the same laundry list.

FACT: Again, all were items found on the Huntington property.

TONY HUNTINGTON--The Missing Link Conspicuously absent from the report is any mention of Tony Huntington, on whose mother's property all of the "evidence" used in KATU's report was found. Huntington and Bateman (Bateman rented a room in an out-building on the property) had been friends since childhood and lived on Huntington's mother's property. For five months after the Feds raided his place, Huntington lived with the knowledge that the illegal arsenal and 50 plant pot grow (complete with power diversion) would net him an approximately 120 year sentence. Thus, five months after authorities raided his house, Huntington decided to finger Fritz for the Damascus Key Bank robbery in 1997 in exchange for leniency. Although KATU's report on Fritz mentions Bateman as one of the Key Bank robbers, missing is the fact that as prosecution's principal witness against Fritz--Huntington perjured himself on the stand by admitting to having taken an active role in the robbery on the day of the robbery. Huntington received a paltry 3 ½ years for his testimony against Fritz. Another of Huntington's lies which was not revealed in the courtroom, but was contained within the discovery paperwork for the case, is that Fritz used the robbery funds to finance a trip to Japan to promote his "Bloodlines of the Illuminati" book. When Reverend Izumi Koishi heard of this allegation he made two unsuccessful attempts to fly to Portland from Japan at his own expense, in order to appear in court to refute Huntington's assertion with cold, hard evidence. Sadly, the trial date kept moving around, so that Reverend Koishi lost money on two sets of non-refundable flight tickets. Fritz' former attorneys kept waffling on the decision of whether to let Koishi testify. However, before the third attempt was made by Koishi to appear, Fritz' attorneys decided not to let Koishi testify. After the guilty verdict was handed down, Reverend Koishi then flew in to offer support. He also brought the evidence that he would have shown in court--a receipt for a Citibank draft in the amount of $2,000 USD made out to Fritz so that he could give a talk about "Bloodlines of the Illuminati", which consequently got published in Japanese. Fritz' Japanese supporter's paid full perdiem on Fritz' visit. Not only did Fritz not have to spend one penny of his own from the moment he boarded the plane to go over there, he received a $2,000 fee for speaking.

"Springmeier, a white separatist known for his anti-government writings..."

FACT: Fritz has never been a white separatist and, in fact, has a "rainbow coalition" of friends and supporters. His writings can be characterised as exposing the illuminati and anti-corrupt government.

"ultra right wing extremist Fritz Springmeier."

FACT: Fritz is neither left wing or right wing. "Ultra right wing extremist", "white separatist", these are smear labels used by lazy journalists.

From Video-"Fritz Springmeier considered himself a member of a loose-knit group known as the Army of God. Experts on US hate groups say the Army of God is a loose-knit group with no formal membership rolls."

FACT: First of all, notice that the above statement contains built in deniability--"loose-knit group" and "no formal membership rolls". These two qualifiers mean that they have absolutely no proof that Fritz belongs to the Army of God. Moreover, Fritz has never considered himself a member of the Army of God and every longterm friend of Fritz' that I have asked about this, not only denied it, but laughed at the thought of it.

In summation, the entire piece was done to smear Fritz and to ruin his chances for a fair retrial. Finally, while KATU is correct in stating that Fritz has been critical of mainstream media, he would never plot to bomb their studio. The mainstream media should look to themselves as the possible source of their own destruction.

Fritz and I will continue to seek justice and to vindicate his innocence. We look forward to the appeals.