WARD CALLS ON GOVERNOR FOR RELEASE OF ALL MISSILE ALERT RECORDINGS, NOT A 24-SECOND SOUND BITE

News Release from Rep Gene Ward, R-Hawaii Kai, March 16, 2018

HONOLULU, HAWAI’I - Representative Gene Ward (R–Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley), a member of the House Military Affairs & International Relations Committee, is calling for the release of all recordings pertaining to the January 13 false missile alert at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and not just the 24-second, heavily redacted snippet that Hi-EMA released earlier this week.

“The people of Hawaii want the truth surrounding the January 13th missile alert fiasco, and that will include all recordings from the Hi-EMA facility from the time the missile alert drill began until well after the all-clear was given," Ward said. "Everyone from Governor Ige on down has been stalling and stonewalling. And now they give us 24 seconds of a false threat alert that panicked an entire island and made Hawaii a national laughingstock. President Nixon's recordings were at least three minutes. This is unacceptable. We need to hear all of the recording so we can learn what went on that day."

Hi-EMA released a recording lasting 24 seconds. "Exercise, exercise, exercise … This is not a drill … Exercise, exercise, exercise." High-pitched tones, of six and 14 seconds, separate the phrases, censoring what might have been said in between.

"That's it, 11 words total," Ward said. "Actually, only six. What Hi-EMA released is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Hawaii."

Ward has written letters to Governor Ige four times since the false missile alert, asking for a forensic tour/walk-through of the Hi-EMA event, directing questions to the governor and Hi-EMA leaders about the events of that day, and requesting release of security tapes from inside and outside the facility.

"If we're ever going to make sure something like this never happens again, we need to see exactly what happened that day, so we can correct any missteps that might have occurred," Ward said. "Governor Ige, I am calling on you for transparency and to be forthright and truthful. The people of Hawaii deserve nothing less."

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Background: State releases heavily redacted recording of HI-EMA's missile mistake test  

HNN: Lawmaker to state: Release full HI-EMA recordings of false missile test 

TH: Hawaii lawmaker demands release of full missile test recording

WE:  Hawaii lawmaker upset with 'stonewalling' after release of redacted recording of drill message that prompted botched missile alert