The Espionage Case That May Not Be As Connected To The White House As Originally Reported...
Yesterday, news services reported an espionage case that involved a Marine and the White House. Supposedly, Leandro Aragoncillo, a former Marine—now an FBI agent—stole classified material from the vice president’s office. Today, however, we saw what happens when the MSM jumps the gun. Below are excerpts from the New York Times story about this from this morning’s edition. (Hat-tip: Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters.)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005572.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/06/politics/06marine.html?ex=1286251200&en=1666e15baf80de15&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday it had expanded a New Jersey espionage investigation in an effort to determine whether one of its own agents, charged last month with spying for the Philippines, might have also had improper access to classified information while working in Vice President Dick Cheney's office several years ago.
The F.B.I. agent, Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, of Woodbury, N.J., an American citizen who was born in the Philippines, was charged Sept. 12 with passing classified information to government officials in Manila.
Leandro Aragoncillo, an American citizen who was born in the Philippines, was charged with passing classified information to government officials in Manila.
The charges filed against Mr. Aragoncillo relate only to classified information that officials say he took from F.B.I. computers after joining the agency in July 2004.
But the investigation is widening, officials said, in light of the fact that he had worked for several years prior to joining the agency as a marine in the vice president's office under both Al Gore and Mr. Cheney. Military aides usually hold security clearances.
ABC News reported Wednesday night that Mr. Aragoncillo was accused of stealing classified material from White House computers at the vice president's office, including information damaging to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
On Wednesday, government officials said they had no corroboration that any material had been taken from the vice president's office, but they acknowledged that investigators had been focusing on Mr. Aragoncillo's work at the White House.
The complaint accused Mr. Aragoncillo of passing copies of classified documents about the Philippines to Mr. Aquino between February and August of this year, after he joined the bureau.
Mr. Aquino was arrested in March on immigration charges for overstaying his visa. Investigators began looking at Mr. Aragoncillo after he sought to intervene on his friend's behalf and agents became suspicious, according to the complaint.
A search of F.B.I. computer records showed that Mr. Aragoncillo had conducted extensive keyword searches on agency computers for information related to the Philippines and had printed or downloaded 101 classified documents on the subject. More than three dozen documents were classified secret.
The classified documents that Mr. Aragoncillo is accused of passing center on political rivalries in Manila, according to court documents.
The White House, obviously, is mum on this case. They simply state that this is an ongoing investigation, and to wait until all the facts are out. Blah, blah, blah. Fine. Do the investigation, but one cannot accept how the media presented this. They presented this as a man who was working out of the vice president’s office, which is not true. He was an active agent for the FBI. There was no espionage committed—as yet proven—from the White House.
This story appears to be one of those sorts that the MSM does the reporting less the fact-checking. ABC rushed to judgment without all the facts, as Mr. Aragoncillo has not been charged with espionage out of the White House. The FBI and CIA, in an espionage case, must determine the access the individual had. The spying may have gone on for up to a decade, which would put his activities in two separate White Houses; under two different presidents. This does not excuse his activities. It clarifies them.
As the investigation continues, more information is assured to be released. We will have to wait and see. That is far more than what ABC News did yesterday in running with a story that was not entirely correct. If anyone is interested in this story, then follow the links below to RadioBlogger and Michelle Malkin. They have much more on this.
http://www.radioblogger.com/#001044
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003676.htm
The Bunny ;)
Yesterday, news services reported an espionage case that involved a Marine and the White House. Supposedly, Leandro Aragoncillo, a former Marine—now an FBI agent—stole classified material from the vice president’s office. Today, however, we saw what happens when the MSM jumps the gun. Below are excerpts from the New York Times story about this from this morning’s edition. (Hat-tip: Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters.)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005572.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/06/politics/06marine.html?ex=1286251200&en=1666e15baf80de15&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday it had expanded a New Jersey espionage investigation in an effort to determine whether one of its own agents, charged last month with spying for the Philippines, might have also had improper access to classified information while working in Vice President Dick Cheney's office several years ago.
The F.B.I. agent, Leandro Aragoncillo, 46, of Woodbury, N.J., an American citizen who was born in the Philippines, was charged Sept. 12 with passing classified information to government officials in Manila.
Leandro Aragoncillo, an American citizen who was born in the Philippines, was charged with passing classified information to government officials in Manila.
The charges filed against Mr. Aragoncillo relate only to classified information that officials say he took from F.B.I. computers after joining the agency in July 2004.
But the investigation is widening, officials said, in light of the fact that he had worked for several years prior to joining the agency as a marine in the vice president's office under both Al Gore and Mr. Cheney. Military aides usually hold security clearances.
ABC News reported Wednesday night that Mr. Aragoncillo was accused of stealing classified material from White House computers at the vice president's office, including information damaging to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
On Wednesday, government officials said they had no corroboration that any material had been taken from the vice president's office, but they acknowledged that investigators had been focusing on Mr. Aragoncillo's work at the White House.
The complaint accused Mr. Aragoncillo of passing copies of classified documents about the Philippines to Mr. Aquino between February and August of this year, after he joined the bureau.
Mr. Aquino was arrested in March on immigration charges for overstaying his visa. Investigators began looking at Mr. Aragoncillo after he sought to intervene on his friend's behalf and agents became suspicious, according to the complaint.
A search of F.B.I. computer records showed that Mr. Aragoncillo had conducted extensive keyword searches on agency computers for information related to the Philippines and had printed or downloaded 101 classified documents on the subject. More than three dozen documents were classified secret.
The classified documents that Mr. Aragoncillo is accused of passing center on political rivalries in Manila, according to court documents.
The White House, obviously, is mum on this case. They simply state that this is an ongoing investigation, and to wait until all the facts are out. Blah, blah, blah. Fine. Do the investigation, but one cannot accept how the media presented this. They presented this as a man who was working out of the vice president’s office, which is not true. He was an active agent for the FBI. There was no espionage committed—as yet proven—from the White House.
This story appears to be one of those sorts that the MSM does the reporting less the fact-checking. ABC rushed to judgment without all the facts, as Mr. Aragoncillo has not been charged with espionage out of the White House. The FBI and CIA, in an espionage case, must determine the access the individual had. The spying may have gone on for up to a decade, which would put his activities in two separate White Houses; under two different presidents. This does not excuse his activities. It clarifies them.
As the investigation continues, more information is assured to be released. We will have to wait and see. That is far more than what ABC News did yesterday in running with a story that was not entirely correct. If anyone is interested in this story, then follow the links below to RadioBlogger and Michelle Malkin. They have much more on this.
http://www.radioblogger.com/#001044
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003676.htm
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 3:26 PM
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