The Black Prison Leak Investigation Is On
By Mark I Posted in User Blogs — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The CIA has requested that the justice department initiate an investigation into who leaked information about its Black Prison program for captured terrorists to Dana Priest of The Washington Post. Byron York has the details and provides the context.
If it were pursued in a manner similar to the Plame/Wilson case, a CIA prison-leak investigation would involve several questions similar to those that have been discussed in the press in recent months. Is the existence of the prisons classified information? If so, did a government official give that classified information to someone -- a reporter -- who was not authorized to receive it, in possible violation of the 1917 Espionage Act? Did that official give other classified information to the paper which does not appear in the article, the disclosure of which might also constitute a violation of the Espionage Act? Should the president order government officials, including those at the CIA, to sign waivers releasing reporters from any pledges of confidentiality made in the reporting of this story? Should Washington Post reporters or other journalists be forced by a court to reveal the content of their discussions with confidential sources?
Given what we know about the results of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's leak investigation: no proof of or indictment for the alleged underlying crime that was the reason for the investigation in the first place; this investigation could turn up an actual breach of National Security. There is no doubt that the information provided to the Post is classified. There is no doubt that the revelation of this classified information will have a deleterious effect on National Security. There is no doubt that this information was closely guarded both by the United States and by the countries who may be hosting the prisons. There is no doubt that the motive for leaking this information is to embarrass the United States and impact its ability to detain terrorist suspects.
Let's see if our liberal Democratic friends and their cheeleaders in the MSM show some intellectual honesty and speak out just as forcifully about this alleged leak as they have about the Plame Affair.
I'm not holding my breath.
Strange seeing the contorted positions both Democrats and Republicans have twisted themselves into when talking about two cases that are fundamentally the same- leaking classified information for mostly political reasons. Anyone trying to justify or excuse either of these acts gets zero respect from me. And that includes people staying quiet about one and speaking up about the other. Hypocrites all around.
this is the type of information leak that is harmful, and can cause damage.
This is a situation where whoever did it should be charged, and if convicted punished. And they sure enough don't need to have access to government secrets anymore.
One thing that seems to be too common place in DC right now is various leaks-often for political purposes.
Leaks of classified information shouldn't be tolerated or overlooked. The CIA and State leak like sieves, its about time they shut off the source.
So what was Trent Lott talking about? Did he tell the Post?
According to CNN,
"Earlier Tuesday, Republican congressional leaders asked for an investigation into the matter, and Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi suggested his own GOP colleagues could be to blame for the possible leak."
I saw him on TV on Sunday and all I could think about was the old adage "Revenge is a dish best served cold".
I think he has been lying in wait and rather than fight for his party, he is getting revenge against Bush, and Frist and anyone else with an R after their name -- even though not one of them set him up for his fall. His fall from grace was all of his own doing. Why is he taking it out on the rest of us?
Amy
Are you willing to support throwing Joe Wilson in jail for leaking the profession of his wife?
and fire her for being dumb enough to have her picture on the front of Vogue magazine or whatever. What kind of a 'secret agent' is on the front page of a major magazine for cryin' out loud. What are they running over at Langley, an 'intergalactic kegger' or something?
How Congressional intelligence committee members escape blame for 9/11 and other surprise attacks is demonstrated by their current efforts to remain willfully ignorant of plots for future attacks on their constituents. Republicans enjoy along with Democrats the protection of their willful blindness to information that can be obtained from detainees. No member of Congress will or can be exposed to any risk that may be incurred by answering the question: "What did you know and when did you know it"? Proactive re-election insurance has been provided by exposing the existence of detainment facilities that threaten to burden members of Congress with knowledge of plots to kill more civilians on U.S. soil.
because my download speed is too slow, but I'll try to point you in the direction.
Though there are disputes about some of the times (e.g. Gen. Vallely) the Kerry campaign said that he discussed her CIA job with them when he went to work in the campaign. The Boston Globe had an article where it was disclosed (though I don't believe it was the focus of the article.)
His discussions with the Kerry campaign about her were previous to any public articles (Novak) disclosing her identity, and I believe prior to his article in the NYT.
The memory hole has better data, but I believe it was Oct. of 2003 that the Globe story was published.
Question;
Does anyone else find it strange that people in the CIA (past) are now writing books? Does anyone know what the rules are if an ex employee wants to go public?
just curious
Is this going to be a "no holds" investigation that will go on, no matter where it leads?
Lets say a Republican staffer turns out to be the leaker? I say hang them, and hang them high, which is the same thing that I would say if the leaker was say....Sandy Berger, or a Democratic staffer.