White House Aide Poses as Reporter to Scout Talk Sites
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WASHINGTON — A White House advance man recently posed as an employee of NBC News to scout sites in Columbia, Mo., for a visit by President Reagan, officials said today.
“We wish it hadn’t happened,” said James Hooley, a special assistant to the President and director of presidential advance. “It’s certainly something that we do not expect to happen again.”
The Columbia Tribune reported Saturday that a man posing as an NBC reporter recently toured two schools that Reagan is scheduled to visit Thursday. He visited the city before the visit was announced and the sites selected.
Hickman Principal Kenneth Clark said the visit took place Feb. 24. The trip to Columbia was announced by the White House only Friday, although word had leaked days earlier in Missouri.
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