James Guckert, the principal figure in the still-unfolding Gannongate scandal, is back in the news.

Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, served as a White House correspondent for Talon News, until he was exposed as a GOP operative, with no journalism experience, who was using a false identity (Jeff Gannon) for two years, while lobbing softball questions to press secretary Scott McClellan and president George Bush. Guckert resigned on Feb 9th, and Talon News shut down soon thereafter. Guckert also maintained web sites apparently advertising his services as a male prostitute. A featured part of his appeal was his claim to be a Marine. Apparently, like much about Guckert, this was also false.

“Fake name. Fake reporter. Fake news agency. And now this … Fake Marine,” writes Susan Gardner on The Daily Kos.

Gardner is co-founder of ePluribus Media, a volunteer organization with
more than 700 citizen journalists who are currently researching the Gannongate story. According to an ePluribus Media press release:

“‘We first conducted a search of military personnel records at the National
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis,’ Gardner said. The facility, a central
repository which purports to hold all military records, can find no service
record under the name and Social Security number of James D. Guckert.’”

“‘Our contact there advised us to check directly with the Marine Corps in
Quantico,’ Gardner said. ‘An inquiry there produced the same results, she
said.’”

“On Guckert’s gay escort web sites, he claims he is a Marine veteran,’
Gardner said. ‘Yet the U.S. Marine Corps has no record of his service, nor
does the U.S. military’s central records division. We are beginning to doubt
he was ever in the military.’”

“Gardner said that Guckert — as ‘Jeff Gannon,’ the name he used to gain
entry into White House press briefings for more than two years — claimed
military service on political web sites such as conservativeguy.com.”

“‘To falsely claim military service as a way to ingratiate oneself with
conservative political organizations or gay escort service clients seems not
only fatuous but highly insulting to American servicemen and women who
are fighting and dying right now in Iraq and Afghanistan,’ said Gardner.”