Dan Rather claims that CBS is covering up a report by document examiner Erik Rigler that will prove the infamous Killian memos to be genuine. But CBS announced Wednesday that they will gladly turn that report over to Rather’s attorneys.

Dan Rather’s efforts to get CBS to produce in court documents that it has previously withheld concerning the investigation into “Rathergate” could backfire, the network suggested Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, CBS lawyer Jim Quinn said that the network was prepared to produce “virtually all of the materials” that Rather has requested, including a report by documents examiner Erik T. Rigler, which Rather has suggested had been hushed up because they confirmed the authenticity of the controversial documents he referred to on his disputed 60 Minutes II broadcast about President Bush’s National Guard service. But Quinn said Tuesday that the Rigler study, far from supporting Rather’s claims, will do “just the opposite.”

Of course it will, because those documents have been proven to be phonies. Fakes. Ringers. Frauds. There is no question, there is no doubt, and there is no debate. It’s over, Danny.

And only a fool or a liar would continue to insist otherwise. The jury is still out on which category Rather belongs in.

(Hat tip: Aaron Weisburd.)

UPDATE at 1/25/08 12:05:59 pm:

Zombie points out a Los Angeles newspaper that’s also trying to peddle the “never proven to be fakes” canard. Here’s the PDF of the issue with the article; from the first paragraph:

Documents allegedly written by Bush’s superior, Lt. Colonel Jerry Killian were called into question, but never proven to be fakes.