WakeUpWalmart.com Calls on Wal-Mart to Release Its Internal Investigation Regarding the Spy Scandal

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-09-2007/0004543387&EDATE=

WakeUpWalmart.com Calls on Wal-Mart to Release Its Internal Investigation Regarding the Spy Scandal

WASHINGTON, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In light of today's Wall
Street Journal Story, WakeUpWalMart.com is calling on Wal-Mart to
immediately release its internal investigation and address a series of
troubling questions and contradictions related to the company's growing spy
scandal.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart's "technician" is a
19- year employee of Wal-Mart, and is part of a specialized group, the
"Threat Research and Analysis team," which would "sweep rooms for
electronic-listening devices and do 'forensic' data gathering for use in
court cases."
In addition, contrary to Wal-Mart's assertion that Mr. Gabbard was
running some rogue operation, there is now evidence, revealed by the Wall
Street Journal, that Kenneth H. Senser, a senior vice president and former
CIA operative who heads Wal-Mart Global Security, instructed Mr. Gabbard
and another member of his team to find the source of leaked company
documents.
The direct link between Kenneth Senser and the individuals who
conducted the surveillance seem to contradict a statement made by Wal-Mart
spokeswoman Mona Williams that, "We have absolutely no evidence that
someone else was asking him or directing him" in the electronic intercepts.
In addition, whereas Wal-Mart states that the surveillance and
recording of the New York Times reporter and others occurred over a 4 to 5
month period, the Wall Street Journal reports that the surveillance lasted
well over a year and half with the expressed intent of exposing leaked
documents by outside groups.
In light of these new revelations, WakeUpWalMart.com issued the
following statement in the wake of this growing and expanding spy scandal.
The statement is attributable to Chris Kofinis, communications director for
WakeUpWalMart.com:
"Everyday, it seems there are new twists and turns in the growing
Wal-Mart spy scandal. It is odd, to us, that one day Wal-Mart says it has
investigated this scandal thoroughly, but now we find out the company left
out key parts of the story, including how this 'technician' had been tasked
by Wal-Mart to do surveillance work in the past, that this 'project'
started over a year and half ago, not 4 months ago as earlier stated, and
that we still don't know who Wal-Mart is referring to when they say
'others' were the subject of surveillance. Furthermore, it is still unclear
to what extent WakeUpWalMart.com, and our employees, were the key words
used to do the surveillance or whether or not we were the subject of the
surveillance ourselves.
We call on Wal-Mart to release, in its entirety, its internal
investigation, as well as answer key questions about this scandal that they
seem reluctant to answer."