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By William Bastone, Andrew Goldberg and Joseph Jesselli, Apr. 9, 2014, The Smoking Gun
In a desperate effort to explain away his work as a
paid
government informant, the Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday claimed that he
first ran into the FBI’s arms after his life was threatened by gangsters, an
incident that prompted him to then record 10 face-to-face encounters with one
of those dangerous hoodlums.
That story is a lie.
In fact, Sharpton’s fabricated tale is belied by FBI records
that provide a clear account of when and why he began working as a cooperating
informant. After unveiling his fable at a morning press conference, Sharpton
repeated his claims last night at the close of his “PoliticsNation” show on
MSNBC, where fact checkers and bosses alike do not appear concerned with the
truthfulness of the host’s off- and on-air pronouncements.
By tampering with the chronology of--and motive for--his
enlistment as an FBI
informant, Sharpton is furiously attempting to cast that cooperation
in the most favorable light possible. He was not a rat or a snitch, Sharpton
protests. In fact, the reverend contends that he was not even aware the FBI
considered him an informant. The money he was paid by his FBI handler? Well,
that was just reimbursements for carfare, Sharpton claims. As he explained to
MSNBC viewers, Sharpton was just a victim looking for Uncle Sam’s protection
and intervention.
Sharpton contends that he first contacted the FBI in early-1984,
immediately after his life was threatened by Salvatore Pisello, a wiseguy with
music industry connections. As Sharpton tells it, Pisello was incensed that the
activist was threatening to stage boycotts and demonstrations unless black
promoters were given a piece of the upcoming “Victory Tour” featuring Michael
Jackson and his brothers.
At a press conference yesterday at his Harlem headquarters,
Sharpton claimed that Gambino soldier Joseph “Joe Bana” Buonanno set up the
meeting at which Pisello threatened his life. In his autobiography, Sharpton
reported that Pisello traveled from Los Angeles to New York to threaten him.
The book, however, makes no mention of Buonanno, who is deceased, or his
purported role in facilitating Pisello’s alleged death threat.
Read the full story: www.thesmokinggun.com
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