The Investigation That SHOULD Occur
(Hat-Tip: Captain's Quarters)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005763.php
This story comes from "The Hill."
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/111005/news1.html
Rank-and-file members of the House and Senate intelligence committees said they were in the dark yesterday about the timing and logistics of a possible joint investigation into alleged leaks from the Central Intelligence Agency, and there were strong indications that congressional action could be preempted by a potential Justice Department probe.
“We don’t know much about how we’re going to respond or go forward,” said Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
Several of his colleagues in both chambers also professed little knowledge of how or when a probe might be conducted, despite the fact that both the House and Senate committees met yesterday and despite the urgency expressed in a letter sent to panel chairmen Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
“We request that you immediately initiate a joint investigation into the possible release of classified information to the media alleging that the United States government may be detaining and interrogating terrorists at undisclosed locations abroad,” they wrote.
“As you know, if accurate, such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences, and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our homeland from terrorist attacks.”
The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA has been operating secret prison camps in foreign countries to interrogate detainees. Many lawmakers said they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of such “black sites.”
At least two lawmakers, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said yesterday that the intelligence panels should defer to the Justice Department, which is determining whether to launch a criminal investigation into the matter, according to the Associated Press.
A House source familiar with discussions of the proposed congressional probe said he had been told that the Justice Department would be the primary agent for an investigation.
“The precedent in the Intelligence Committee, on both sides, has been once the Justice Department starts the investigation we will wait on that,” said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “If there is reason to continue after their investigation, we’ll do it. It’s the same thing we did on the Valerie Plame issue.”
I support this move by the Justice Department for two specific reasons. The first being the one offered up by Capt. Ed. The FBI takes the point in the investigation, and the natural rivalry between both could be enough to shake-up the CIA. This is desperately needed as the CIA has been a bit fast and loose with the rules lately. We have leaks regarding our "black" prisons where we're holding terrorists. The CIA couldn't keep the lid on Valerie Plame's identity. We had a leak earlier this year--just before summer--of secret CIA air services that are ferrying terrorists around the world to these "black" prisons. And to top it off, a spokeswoman for the CIA revealed their $44 billion dollar budget to the US this week. The budget's never been fully revealed. It's a matter of national security. All of the above--even the narcissistic Valerie Plame--are matters of national security. Maybe if the G-men go in, they can shake some of the fifth-columnists out of the CIA tree.
Second, and more importantly, this investigation needs to go ahead because we can ill afford to continue to allow one of our most sensitive intelligence services continue to leak information. This just shouldn't happen. The Left seems far more concerned with pre-war intelligence, and beating the president up over Iraq than truly dealing with the overall problems we are facing in the prosecution of this war. The intel on Iraq wasn't as bad as people claim. We've found tons and tons of WMDs, components, and yes, even uranium. But the media conveniently omits this information, and the Democrats have blinders on when it comes to the subject. They also seem to suffer from "unhinged amnesia"--amnesia one gets from completely losing their mind. They believed in the same intel presented to them by the president back in 1998 when their golden-boy was in the cat-bird seat.
Despite the Frist-Hastert letter’s call for a specific probe into one instance of alleged leaking, members of the House committee said they are interested in a broader look at the issue.
“We’ll have some specific things we’ll target, but we’ll also ask how you handle it in general,” said Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.).
“This specific instance is sort of a high-profile case,” McHugh said. But, he added, “there’s a deep concern about leaks, and that’s not a new issue.”
Again, I must concur. I don't want an investigation on one specific instance. I named four instances above. There are more problems at CIA than what people are willing to admit, and there are people there purposefully undermining the president. This nation is at war, and we need all our intel agencies on the same page. My uncle works in the intel field, and he has reinforced this point to me more often than not. "If everyone isn't on the same page, marching to the same tune, then you have people that are going to get others killed." He's right.
This investigation needs to go forward. The stakes in this game are higher than ever before. We have an enemy that hates us. Not the sort of hate that soldiers feel towards one another, but a deep-seeded, seething hatred for Western Civilization, and especially the United States. They hate our tolerance. They hate how we conduct our lives, our business, and our foreign policy. They look at us as an affront to the world rather than a blessing. That is why this leak game being played by the fifth-column in the CIA is so damn dangerous. And the people that are doing this are going to get nailed.
As a Justice Department investigation it will also remove the politicization of this topic. There will be no blowhards bloviating on the floor of the Senate like Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, Joe Biden, and Charles Schumer. We won't get yet another lecture from Hillary about how the Bush Administration is rooting out political enemies rather than enemies of America. It'll be all gone, and the leaders in Congress will push the Justice Department to keep them informed.
See, leaking information like this is dangerous. It could cost the lives of agents in the field, or lead to a terrorist strike against one of these facilities. Honestly, I don't want a bunch of these animals being broken out to scurry like roaches for the nearest cave. These leaks aren't accidental, ladies and gentlemen. They're deliberate, and that constitutes a crime which requires prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Once the person or persons are identified, I want them in jail. I don't want a Sandy Burger-like slap on the wrist. I'm not talking about fining them. They belong behind bars for weakening this nation in a time of war. Quite frankly, were it me, I'd charge them with treason because there is no other charge that fits this crime.
Publius II
(Hat-Tip: Captain's Quarters)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005763.php
This story comes from "The Hill."
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/111005/news1.html
Rank-and-file members of the House and Senate intelligence committees said they were in the dark yesterday about the timing and logistics of a possible joint investigation into alleged leaks from the Central Intelligence Agency, and there were strong indications that congressional action could be preempted by a potential Justice Department probe.
“We don’t know much about how we’re going to respond or go forward,” said Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
Several of his colleagues in both chambers also professed little knowledge of how or when a probe might be conducted, despite the fact that both the House and Senate committees met yesterday and despite the urgency expressed in a letter sent to panel chairmen Tuesday by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
“We request that you immediately initiate a joint investigation into the possible release of classified information to the media alleging that the United States government may be detaining and interrogating terrorists at undisclosed locations abroad,” they wrote.
“As you know, if accurate, such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences, and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our homeland from terrorist attacks.”
The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA has been operating secret prison camps in foreign countries to interrogate detainees. Many lawmakers said they could neither confirm nor deny the existence of such “black sites.”
At least two lawmakers, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said yesterday that the intelligence panels should defer to the Justice Department, which is determining whether to launch a criminal investigation into the matter, according to the Associated Press.
A House source familiar with discussions of the proposed congressional probe said he had been told that the Justice Department would be the primary agent for an investigation.
“The precedent in the Intelligence Committee, on both sides, has been once the Justice Department starts the investigation we will wait on that,” said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “If there is reason to continue after their investigation, we’ll do it. It’s the same thing we did on the Valerie Plame issue.”
I support this move by the Justice Department for two specific reasons. The first being the one offered up by Capt. Ed. The FBI takes the point in the investigation, and the natural rivalry between both could be enough to shake-up the CIA. This is desperately needed as the CIA has been a bit fast and loose with the rules lately. We have leaks regarding our "black" prisons where we're holding terrorists. The CIA couldn't keep the lid on Valerie Plame's identity. We had a leak earlier this year--just before summer--of secret CIA air services that are ferrying terrorists around the world to these "black" prisons. And to top it off, a spokeswoman for the CIA revealed their $44 billion dollar budget to the US this week. The budget's never been fully revealed. It's a matter of national security. All of the above--even the narcissistic Valerie Plame--are matters of national security. Maybe if the G-men go in, they can shake some of the fifth-columnists out of the CIA tree.
Second, and more importantly, this investigation needs to go ahead because we can ill afford to continue to allow one of our most sensitive intelligence services continue to leak information. This just shouldn't happen. The Left seems far more concerned with pre-war intelligence, and beating the president up over Iraq than truly dealing with the overall problems we are facing in the prosecution of this war. The intel on Iraq wasn't as bad as people claim. We've found tons and tons of WMDs, components, and yes, even uranium. But the media conveniently omits this information, and the Democrats have blinders on when it comes to the subject. They also seem to suffer from "unhinged amnesia"--amnesia one gets from completely losing their mind. They believed in the same intel presented to them by the president back in 1998 when their golden-boy was in the cat-bird seat.
Despite the Frist-Hastert letter’s call for a specific probe into one instance of alleged leaking, members of the House committee said they are interested in a broader look at the issue.
“We’ll have some specific things we’ll target, but we’ll also ask how you handle it in general,” said Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.).
“This specific instance is sort of a high-profile case,” McHugh said. But, he added, “there’s a deep concern about leaks, and that’s not a new issue.”
Again, I must concur. I don't want an investigation on one specific instance. I named four instances above. There are more problems at CIA than what people are willing to admit, and there are people there purposefully undermining the president. This nation is at war, and we need all our intel agencies on the same page. My uncle works in the intel field, and he has reinforced this point to me more often than not. "If everyone isn't on the same page, marching to the same tune, then you have people that are going to get others killed." He's right.
This investigation needs to go forward. The stakes in this game are higher than ever before. We have an enemy that hates us. Not the sort of hate that soldiers feel towards one another, but a deep-seeded, seething hatred for Western Civilization, and especially the United States. They hate our tolerance. They hate how we conduct our lives, our business, and our foreign policy. They look at us as an affront to the world rather than a blessing. That is why this leak game being played by the fifth-column in the CIA is so damn dangerous. And the people that are doing this are going to get nailed.
As a Justice Department investigation it will also remove the politicization of this topic. There will be no blowhards bloviating on the floor of the Senate like Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, Joe Biden, and Charles Schumer. We won't get yet another lecture from Hillary about how the Bush Administration is rooting out political enemies rather than enemies of America. It'll be all gone, and the leaders in Congress will push the Justice Department to keep them informed.
See, leaking information like this is dangerous. It could cost the lives of agents in the field, or lead to a terrorist strike against one of these facilities. Honestly, I don't want a bunch of these animals being broken out to scurry like roaches for the nearest cave. These leaks aren't accidental, ladies and gentlemen. They're deliberate, and that constitutes a crime which requires prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. Once the person or persons are identified, I want them in jail. I don't want a Sandy Burger-like slap on the wrist. I'm not talking about fining them. They belong behind bars for weakening this nation in a time of war. Quite frankly, were it me, I'd charge them with treason because there is no other charge that fits this crime.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 3:23 PM
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