STATEMENT BY LANNY J. DAVIS ON IMPROPER FALSE INNUENDO BY AUSTRALIA “NINE”/60 MINUTES, THE “J5” GROUP AND AN AGENT FOR THE INTERNAL REVENUE

STATEMENT BY LANNY J. DAVIS

ON IMPROPER FALSE INNUENDO BY AUSTRALIA “NINE”/60 MINUTES, THE “J5” GROUP AND AN AGENT FOR THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONIC PRESS CONFERENCE, AUGUST 15, 2022
2 PM EST

MY NAME IS LANNY DAVIS. I AM AN ATTORNEY ADVISING MR. PETER SCHIFF.  I HAVE SERVED TWO PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, ONE FROM EACH MAJOR POLITIICAL PARTY: PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON IN THE WHITE HOUSE AS A SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT, AND PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ON A PANEL CREATED ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION TO ADVISE THE PRESIDENT ON PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES ISSUES CONCERNING EFFORTS TO PREVENT ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK ON THE US.

I AM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER MY FATHER EXPLAINING WHAT “MCCARTHYISM” WAS IN THE EARLY 1950S—THE EVIL DEVICE USED BY THE DEMAGOGUE, WISCONSIN SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY, TO IMPLY THAT SOMEONE WAS A “COMMUNIST” WITHOUT PRODUCING A SINGLE FACT TO SUPPORT THE ACCUSATION.

YET BACK THEN, MUCH OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTED EXACTLY THE FALSE INNUENDO SPOKEN BY THIS DEMAGOGUE – AS IF THE INNUENDO WAS EQUIVALENT TO FACT. 

THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA, THE SO-CALLED “J5” GROUP OF GOVERNMENT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS, AND ESPECIALLY, AUSTRALIA’S CHANNEL NINE’S HATCHET JOB IN ITS “60 MINUTES” INTERVIEW OF PETER SCHIFF, BROADCAST ON OCTOBER 18,  2020, AND A US INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AGENT AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN PUERTO RICO ON JUNE 30, 2022.

ALL THREE USED INNUENDO WITH THE UNAVOIDABLE INFERENCE THAT PETER SCHIFF AND HIS BANK, EURO PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL,  HAD COMMITTED SUCH CRIMES AS FACILITATING  MONEY LAUNDERING AND INCOME TAX EVASION COMPLICITY, ACTUALLY IMPLYING THAT THE FACT THAT SOMEONE WAS UNDER  AN “INVESTIGATION” WAS EVIDENCE OF GUILT. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP – THE LEAD INTERVIEWER OF CHANNEL NINE’S AUSTRALIA – “60 MINUTES” SEGMENT ACTUALLY SAID SOMETHING LIKE, “WELL IF YOU ARE INNOCENT HOW COME SO MANY PEOPLE ARE INVESTIGATING YOU?” OR AS JOSEPH MCCARTHY WOULD SAY, “HOW CAN YOU DENY BEING A COMMUNIST IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE INVESTIGATING YOU?” 

I AM NOT ONLY CALLING OUT AUSTRALIAN 60 MINUTES.  I AM ASKING THEM TO ADMIT THEY USED FALSE PRETENSES – IN JOURNALISTIC JARGON, AN “AMBUSH” – TO SET UP THE INTERVIEW WITH MR. SCHIFF  UNDER FALSE PRETENSES, TELLING HIM THEY WANTED TO INTERVIEW HIM ON ECONOMIC ISSUES AND NEVER ONCE MENTIONING HIS POTENTIAL CRIMINAL WRONGDOING REGARDING HIS BANK. BUT THEN, THROUGH THESE KINDS OF INSULTING QUESTIONS ON CAMERA, APPEARED TO INTEND TO PROVOKE MR. SCHIFF TO STAND UP, TAKE OFF HIS MICROPHONE AND WALK OUT (IN HIS OWN HOME, I MUST ADD) – VIDEOTAPE RUNNING AND, OF COURSE, TELEVISED AS PART OF THE PIECE. 

IT WASN’T UNTIL THE NEW YORK TIMES RECENTLY PUBLISHED ITS REPORT ON MR. SCHIFF’S SETTLEMENT WITH THE PUERTO RICAN BANK REGULATORY AGENCY, “OCIF,” REGARDING CIVIL VIOLATION OF “INSUFFICIENT CAPITAL” AND OTHER ISSUES THAT ANOTHER FACT WAS REPORTED — THAT DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE ON JUNE 30, 2022, THE PUERTO RICAN BANK COMMISSIONER SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THE CIVIL CHARGE WAS  “NOT BASED ON CLAIMS OF MONEY LAUNDERING OR OTHER FINANCIAL CRIMES.”

HERE ARE SOME FURTHER FACTS LEFT OUT OF THE “60 MINUTES” REPORT AND OTHER NEWS REPORTS FOLLOWING THE “60 MINUTES” WRITTEN VERSION OF ITS TV REPORT AMONG GLOBAL MEDIA: 

FACT: THE PUERTO RICAN BANK REGULATOR RECENTLY COMPLETED ITS REVIEW AND REPORTED THAT THE BANK HELD “AN EXCESS CASH POSITION TO COVER ALL DEPOSITS.”

FACT:  EURO PACIFIC BANK MADE NO LOANS TO ANYONE.  THUS DEPOSITORS CAN NOW BE CONFIDENT THEY WILL GET MOST IF NOT ALL OF THEIR DEPOSITS BACK.

FACT:  MR. SCHIFF INJECTED $7 MILLION OF HIS OWN MONEY INTO THE BANK AFTER HE SUFFERED LOSSES OF BUSINESS AND DEPOSITORS CAUSED BY THE AUSTRALIA “60 MINUTES” FALSE, INNUENDO, FACT-FREE BROADCAST AND WRITTEN REPORT.  

THE AGENT FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THAT PRESS CONFERENCE FROM THE CRIMINAL DIVISION OF THE IRS ALSO USED THE SAME FACT-FREE INNUENDO REFERRING TO MR. SCHIFF  AND THE BANK AS UNDER “INVESTIGATION” – AS IF THAT IS A FACT INFERRING CRIMINAL CONDUCT.

SPEAKING OF THAT AGENT, I PLAN TO ASK THE US TREASURY DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMISSIONER OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE TO SUSPEND THIS AGENT FOR IMPROPER CONDUCT IN PARTICIPATING IN THIS PRESS CONFERENCE AND ANNOUNCING AN “INVESTIGATION.”  THIS IS NOT PROPER.  IT VIOLATES DUE PROCESS RULES . A SENIOR OFFICIAL OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN QUOTED AS SAYING ABOUT DOJ RULES ON THIS SUBJECT: 

“WE DON’T SHAME WITHOUT A CHARGE.”

I WILL ALSO ASK THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT TO RECOMMEND DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR AN IRS AGENT WHO PARTICIPATED IN SUCH A PRESS CONFERENCE AND ANNOUNCING THE FACT OF AN INVESTIGATION, IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS POSITIONS AS CHIEF OF THE CRIMINAL DIVISION OF THE IRS.  I SUBMIT THAT THE SO-CALLED “J5”  GROUP OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS FROM FIVE DIFFERENT GOVERNMENTS HAVE DONE THE SAME THING – BY PUBLICLY DISCLOSING AN INVESTIGATION OF MR. SCHIFF AND HIS BANK WITH THE UNAVOIDABLE INFERENCE THAT HE IS SUSPECTED, IF NOT GUILTY, OF CRIMES. 

SINCE THE SOURCE OF MR. SCHIFF’S FINANCIAL HARM AND DAMAGE TO HIS REPUTATION, CAUSING HIM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LOSSES, I CALL UPON NINE/60 MINUTES TO OWN UP, STEP UP, AND APOLOGIZE FOR THIS UNETHICAL AMBUSH INTERVIEW USING MCCARTHYITE ACCUSATORY QUESTIONING WITH NOT A SINGLE FACT OR EVIDENCE OF MR. SCHIFF’S GUILT OF ANY CRIME WHATSOEVER, MUCH LESS COMPLICITY IN MONEY LAUNDERING AND INCOME TAX EVASION.

I ALSO CALL UPON THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNALISTIC WATCHDOGS FOR THE TRUTH AND ETHICS IN JOURNALISM – ESPECIALLY ITS GRADUATE SCHOOLS OF JOURNALISM – TO CALL OUT AND CONDEMN THIS FACT-FREE INNUENDO JOURNALISTIC TACTIC BY NINE AND ITS 60 MINUTES SEGMENT ON MR. SCHIFF. 

SINCE MR. SCHIFF  IS CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN THAT DEFAMATION LITIGATION, I WILL NOT ALLOW HIM TO TAKE QUESTIONS DURING THIS CALL TODAY,  BUT I AM WILLING TO RESPOND AS HIS ATTORNEY.

THANK YOU.