WH Aide Admits Plagiarizing Article

Timothy Goeglein, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Public Liaison at the White House, admitted to plagiarizing parts of a column he submitted to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel which appeared in yesterday's edition of the paper. He later resigned. A former columnist for the paper discovered the copied passages in Goeglein's piece by searching for the name of a Dartmouth professor mentioned in the column, and reported it on her blog. The News-Sentinel has pulled Goeglein's other articles from its website and is checking for past instances of plagiarism in them.

Goeglein was contrite in admitting that he passed off work as his own that he had copied from others. Goeglein sent an e-mail to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, which reported the allegations today, saying, "It is true. I am entirely at fault. It was wrong of me. There are no excuses."

Goeglein informed his superiors at the White House this morning. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino released the following statement.

Tim Goeglein has loyally served President Bush for over seven years and worked tirelessly on his behalf to promote the President's policies. Among his contributions, Tim helped establish the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He also played an important role in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito.

Today, Tim accepted responsibility for the columns published under his name in his local newspaper, and has apologized for not upholding the standards expected by the President. The President was disappointed to learn of the matter, and he was saddened for Tim and his family. He has long appreciated Tim's service, and he knows him to be a good person who is committed to his country. President Bush accepted Tim's resignation today.

Nancy Nall, the former News-Sentinel columnist, has been receiving reader comment son her blog pointing to other columns by Goeglein that contain apparent similarities to published articles. Thus far, at least four additional instances of plagiarism by Goeglein involving three other publications have been documented by Nall's blog.