MSNBC: Developing story about another CIA leaks

[jbooma]

Just on CNN

Republicans are upset about new leak about prisons and want full investigation on what the WP reported.

Frist just signed off on the investigation just now.

[Art Monk Fan]

Reid has already come out trying to shift the focus away from the leak, so it looks like a Dem or one of their staffers leaked the info. With the Libby indictment, I don't expect the Republicans to stop short of an indictment here either -- trying to nullify the issue going into the election.

[SkinsHokieFan]

If there was any sort of leak, what a blunder by the dems :doh:

However, Trent Lott is saying it may have been a Republican who leaked it

If a Republican leaked it, what a blunder :doh:

[DjTj]

From the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-110805prisonleak_lat,0,4572952.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Probe Sought in Leak About CIA-Run Secret Prisons

By Mary Curtius

Times Staff Writer

2:30 PM PST, November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON — With pressure mounting on the administration over its detainee policies, Republican House and Senate leaders today sought a Congressional probe into who leaked information on the existence of CIA-run secret prisons abroad to the Washington Post.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) circulated a letter asking the intelligence committees to "immediately initiate a joint investigation into the possible release of classified information to the media," about the existence of the prisons.

"As you know, if accurate, such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences," the pair said in their letter to Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The request came as Democrats continued to demand an independent inquiry into allegations of detainee abuse and into the administration's handling of pre-war intelligence, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continued his fight to issue clear instructions to U.S. military and intelligence personnel banning cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners.

The Senate has passed a McCain-sponsored amendment barring torture of detainees and setting standards for their treatment. The administration opposes the restrictions and has threatened to veto the $440 billion defense bill to which it is attached. The House has not voted on the measure.

Responding to news of the request by congressional leaders for a probe into the source of the Post's information, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said it was a serious matter.

"It ought to be taken seriously," McClellan said. "But this is a congressional prerogative and it was a decision that was made by those leaders and that's the way I would describe it."

On Nov. 2, the Post revealed the existence of a network of clandestine prisons in Eastern Europe where it said the CIA was holding suspected terrorists. The administration has neither confirmed nor denied the report, but its publication intensified the debate on Capitol Hill about the administration's detainee policies.

Late this afternoon, a senior Republican aide on the Senate Intelligence Committee said the panel had not yet received Frist's and Hastert's letter. The aide, who requested anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the issue, said he could not recall an instance in which the committee investigated an alleged leak of classified information, except when there was suspicion that someone on the panel's staff had been involved.

"We will work with the leadership," if Frist's office wants a congressional probe, the aide said. But he cautioned that leak investigations ordinarily were carried out by the Justice Department, and that the committee generally avoided encroaching on criminal probes.

"If the Justice Dept. gets engaged, it becomes very problematic to cross paths with them," the aide said.

Democratic congressional leaders welcomed the call for an investigation, but said it should be broader than the possible leak of classified information about the prison system.

In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that "leaking is unacceptable." But, he said, "while Republicans have been quick to call for an investigation of this matter, they have repeatedly and regularly resisted any real oversight of this administration's flawed policies."

The minority leader said he hoped the majority's "newfound zeal for investigations," will mean they will also push for a probe into "how this administration used and misused intelligence as it made its case for war in Iraq."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said that "if Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Frist are finally ready to join Democrats' demands for an investigation of possible abuses of classified information, they must direct the House and Senate Intelligence Committee to investigate all aspects of that issue."

At least one Senate Republican agreed.

Asked whether he believed there should be a probe of the possible leaking of classified information on the existence of the prisons, or of the existence of the prisons themselves, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a former military lawyer, rolled his eyes and replied: "How about both? I'd like to know why we've got secret prisons and what oversight precautions we have."

Graham said it was "imperative we regain the moral high ground and having secret prisons come out in the Washington Post is not a good way to regain it."

Another Republican, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, said it may have been Republican senators who leaked the information to the Post. Lott told reporters that the existence of the secret prison system was discussed last week during the Republican policy luncheon, held on Capitol Hill the day before the Post story appeared.

"Information that was said in there, given out in there, did get into the newspaper," Lott said.

Asked whether he believed it was Republicans who had breached security, Lott said: "I don't know where else it came from...it looked to me that at least one of those reports came right out of that room."

In their letter, Frist and Hastert said the committees should determine whether the information given to the Post was accurate, who leaked it and "what is the actual and potential damage done to the national security of the United States and our partners in the global war on terror."

The leaders said they would "consider other changes to this mandate based on your recommendations." They said that "the leaking of classified information by employees of the United States government appears to have increased in recent years, establishing a dangerous trend that, if not addressed swiftly and firmly, likely will worsen."

Earlier this month, I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, was indicted on five counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and giving false statements in connection with the leak to reporters of the name of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame. Libby, who has since resigned, has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

[Joe Sick]

GOP likely source of "black sites" leak. Says Lott: "We can not remain silent. We have met the enemy, and it is us."

What about "classified" don't these guys understand?

[Larry]

1) I would tend to assume that the leaker is on the D side.

Although, I don't think many of the conservative posters will like my reasons for assuming that.

I would assume that the reason for leaking this (assuming it wasn't accidental) is either political advantage for the Democrat party, or it's a Republican with a conscience.

And I don't think there are many Republicans with a conscience.

If there were, then we wouldn't have secret CIA prisons. And Congress would be upset over their existance, rather than over the fact that now the voters have found out what, frankly, the voters already knew, anyway, but a lot of them hold their mental noses and pretend that they don't know it.

2) Anybody here want to try to defend why we have "classified prisons"?

For one thing, what's the matter, is Gitmo not secretive enough? Too many witnesses know what's going on there or something? Or are we doing this because that way the government can say "we have X people being held in Gitmo", and they think the voters will allow the government to do this as long as X is "only" so many, but the voters won't approve if they find out we actually have Y people held somewhere?

I can certainly see that there may be a legitimate reason why we can't, sometimes, allow people we've captured to have their "one phone call". But to me, the only reason to classify the existance of the prison, is to conceal the truth from the voters.

[Larry]

Another Republican, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, said it may have been Republican senators who leaked the information to the Post. Lott told reporters that the existence of the secret prison system was discussed last week during the Republican policy luncheon, held on Capitol Hill the day before the Post story appeared.

And nobody seems to find it ironic that Congressional leadership seems to believe that classified information regarding "unlisted" government prisons is part of a Republican political strategy?

[chomerics]

Personally, I am glad this leak came out, whether it was a republican or a democrat, but it also should be investigated. If we are doing something like this, then it should be known out in the open. This after all is done in our name.

Still curious as to why they think it was a senator, the UK has been printing articles about the alleged sites for a bout 6 months, and I thought it was already outside. :whoknows:

[@DCGoldPants]

amazing! Now they want to investigate stuff?

Well....get in line!

We have a pre-war intell probe that was never getting off the ground.

Probe away!

[chomerics]

I'm also with Larry about this being a democrat. . . but then again, it wouldn't suprise me if it was McCain. He's been the vocal leader against this type of behavior.

Edit: I think I may have changed my rationale for the repubs. . .

There are charges that the RNC's new policy is to attack the CIA. They look at it as the only hope out of this mess and thic would coincide with that train of thought.

From a liberal blog site, but they are real good at picking out the next target of the RNC & Bushies.

Wingnuts Declare War on CIA to Retaliate, Defend Against, Take the Offensive in TreasonGate Charges...

Coordinated Fatwa on Intel Agency Declared by Rightwing Columnists, Bloggers, Talk Radio and Congress...

Over the last 48 hours or so, the newest front of attack by the Republican Attack Dogs on behalf of the Bush Administration has become quite clear.

To defend against the indefensible leaking of the identify of a covert CIA operative in the TreasonGate affair, it is now clear that the Rightwing has begun an offensive to try and attack the CIA in order to define them as a "rogue agency" who was out to get the Bushies from the get-go.

The insinuation has been made quite clear over the last few days with coordinated lock-step efforts via newspapers, blogs, talk radio and congressional action to attempt to discredit the CIA. The latest strategy is now seen dropping unsupported accusations across the media spectrum to the effect that the intelligence agency's assignment of Ambassador Joseph Wilson to look into the now-discredited Iraq/Niger/uranium claims were all part of a long-term insidious scheme to try and discredit the Bush Administration.

Yesterday, I wrote about Carol Platt Liebau's recent efforts at HuffPo to fight back on behalf of the Bushies by attacking the CIA's motives in both sending Wilson on the mission and in releasing the information that they had requested a DoJ investigation into the outting of his wife Valerie's identify as a covert CIA op.

Liebau did little more in a blog item yesterday at HuffPo, titled "A 'Rogue Agency'" than copy and paste directly from an op/ed by Deborah Orin on these matters from the Rupert Murdoch-owned NY Daily News.

My reply to Liebau's article has yet to be posted on HuffPo. I'll update this item with the link once it's posted over there.

Today, Liebau is at it again. This time, she copies and pastes from an article from the wingnut Powerline blog, with further questions about the CIA's motives for the Wilson assignment and the recent information revealed by Washington Post concerning secret CIA prisons overseas.

Meanwhile, both talk radio and congress has also joined in the rightwing fatwa against the CIA.

Editor & Publisher is reporting today that Senator Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have requested a congressional inquiry into "the leaking of classified information" which led to the article about secret al-Qaeda prisons run by the CIA in Europe. RAW STORY has obtained the actual letter requesting the inquiry by Frist and Hastert.

This morning, Rush Limbaugh continued the lockstepped new front in the war to salvage the Bush Administration by spending the first several hours of his radio show blasting the CIA for the exact same issues discussed by Liebau, Orin, Powerline Blog, Frist and Hastert.

He also let slip that "you won't be hearing George W. Bush speak about this directly," as if to indicate that this is "a war" to be carried out by Bush's advocates in the media so that Bush himself can remain above "the fray" while his sycophants carry out his dirty work for him.

What the effectiveness of this new P.R. effort will be remains to be seen. But when the wingnuts all get together and march from the same page of the same rulebook, the propoganda effect on the nation has proven to be very effective. Unfortunately, the Left simply doesn't have the same kind of organized media network that the Right does in order to effectively and quickly rebut such a coordinated all-out attack.

But at least you now know about it. Make no mistake: The effort to fight back by directly attacking the messengers -- in this case, the CIA (along with those of us who dare point out what really occurred in the TreasonGate matter) has now become very clear. It will be yet another phony war. This time, the CIA vs The Bush Administration.

UPDATE: Inquiry into who leaked info on secret prisons may bite Republicans in the ass. Trent Lott reports that it was a leak by a Republican after a meeting held recently with Dick Cheney and Republican Senators. Says Lott, "He was up here last wek and talked up here in that room right there in a roomful of nothing but senators and every word that was said in there went right to the newspaper." RAW STORY has more

source

[@DCGoldPants]

I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out to be somebody at the Pentagon who has an ax to gride.

Folks are pissed about body armor issues, vehicle armor issues, extended tours, etc. Seems pretty interesting that photos from way overhead got it.

[Prosperity]

secret prisons? I am glad someone leaked it

[chomerics]

Sounds like Bradblog may have been right. . .

From the American Spectator yesterday . . .

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8993

The CIA Disinformation Campaign

By Jed Babbin

Published 11/8/2005 12:09:28 AM

The CIA's disinformation campaign against President Bush -- headlined in the Wilson/Plame affair -- is more jujitsu than karate. Instead of applying your own force to defeat your opponent, you turn his energy and momentum against him and bring him down. The CIA, as much or more than the State Department, didn't support President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. And to discredit that decision, it appears the CIA first chose an unspeakably unqualified political activist for a sham intelligence mission, structured it so that the results would be utterly public, and then -- when the activist resumed his publicity-hound activity -- demanded and achieved a high-profile criminal investigation into White House activities that resulted, so far, in the indictment of the Vice President's chief of staff. It's time for the Justice Department -- or, better yet, for the Senate Intelligence Committee -- to investigate the Wilson/Plame sham. Not only was the Wilson mission to Niger a sham, but the CIA's demand for an investigation of Robert Novak's outing of Valerie Plame may itself have been a criminal act.

There is much more of the article there. . .

Hey, is hell starting to freeze, or does Lott see the writing on the wall with the election results? I mean it's not every day I agree with the Senator.

[Larry]

but the CIA's demand for an investigation of Robert Novak's outing of Valerie Plame may itself have been a criminal act.

Yep, that's it.

Outing a CIA agent isn't the real crime. The real crime is asking people look into the leak. Yeah, that's it.

[Thiebear]

Yep, that's it.

Outing a CIA agent isn't the real crime. The real crime is asking people look into the leak. Yeah, that's it.

Shouldnt it be:

Put the people in jail that leaked the name. Including a Journalist that knowing did it also?

Then take it to:

Also about the prisons as that is a leak also depending on what they figure out if its reporting an illegal act. Therefore, can not fall under topsecret or if its a real leak and thus hunting down the looselip individual is needed?

[Larry]

BTW, anybody got a link to the leak? I'd kind-of like to read what's being talked about.

[chomerics]

Shouldnt it be:

Put the people in jail that leaked the name. Including a Journalist that knowing did it also?

Bear, how in the world is demanding an investegation into HOW one out your agents a crime? The author was saying that the CIA committed a crime because they demanded that this be looked into. You don't believe that do you?

[chomerics]

BTW, anybody got a link to the leak? I'd kind-of like to read what's being talked about.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101644.html

[Larry]

And chom, I agree that "the right" seems to be on a crusade against the CIA lately. (Caught Rush yesterday claiming that the CIA had been overrun with anti-american liberals and needed to be cleaned.)

But I have trouble believing that Rove (or some other strategist) thinks that leaking the existance of a CIA project, that the voters won't like, but which Bush ordered, supervised, and is even now defending, is part of a vast right-wing conspiracy to sling feces at the CIA.

Although it wouldn't be the first time that this administration tried to defend themselves by smearing CIA with something which the administration did, over CIA objections. And at least once, this technique has worked. CIA took the blame for the White House's actions.

[Thiebear]

Bear, how in the world is demanding an investegation into HOW one out your agents a crime? The author was saying that the CIA committed a crime because they demanded that this be looked into. You don't believe that do you?

My RIF skills are down today: I have no idea what this means.

[chomerics]

My RIF skills are down today: I have no idea what this means.

Not your RIF skills, my writing skills. . . the whole brain works faster then my fingers bit.

Larry was posting a line from one of the links, it stated . . . .

Outing a CIA agent isn't the real crime. The real crime is asking people look into the leak.

One of the RWblogs said that the REAL CRIME was asking the Justice Department to find out who leaked the name. . .

to which you said. . .

Shouldnt it be:

Put the people in jail that leaked the name. Including a Journalist that knowing did it also?

Which really did not follow Larry original post. I was looking for a clarification from you when I posted. . .

Bear, how in the world is demanding an investegation into HOW one of your agents was outed a crime? The author was saying that the CIA committed a crime because they demanded that this be looked into. You don't believe that do you?

Underline added to clarify my bad typing skills

Sorry for the confusion, but do you agree?

[chomerics]

And chom, I agree that "the right" seems to be on a crusade against the CIA lately. (Caught Rush yesterday claiming that the CIA had been overrun with anti-american liberals and needed to be cleaned.)

They have been trying to slander the CIA for the past few days via their outlets, that much is pretty apparent.

But I have trouble believing that Rove (or some other strategist) thinks that leaking the existance of a CIA project, that the voters won't like, but which Bush ordered, supervised, and is even now defending, is part of a vast right-wing conspiracy to sling feces at the CIA.

They had absolutely no problem doing it with Plame. . . Even though Wilson's trip was a fact finding mission they wanted looked into.

What THIS leak does is plant the idea into people's mind that the CIA is a rouge branch of government which obides by "their own set of rules", outside of the Bush administration. I also think that it was no coincidence that Bush came out explicitly against torture at the same time the leak was exposed. Just my take on it, but I would find it real hard to believe that this wasn't known to the Bushies if it is indeed a republican that leaked it.

Although it wouldn't be the first time that this administration tried to defend themselves by smearing CIA with something which the administration did, over CIA objections. And at least once, this technique has worked. CIA took the blame for the White House's actions.

Yes, correct. I'm anxiously awaiting Tenent's book, it should be a real doozy to say the least.

[Larry]

All I'm saying is, I don't think there's anybody out there with the brass ones to even attempt to blame these prisons on the CIA, while Bush is threatening to veto the DOD budget unless it authorises the CIA to torture people overseas.

I'm just saying that it's not 100% guaranteed that nobody'd try that.

[Thiebear]

Not your RIF skills, my writing skills. . . the whole brain works faster then my fingers bit.

Larry was posting a line from one of the links, it stated . . . .

One of the RWblogs said that the REAL CRIME was asking the Justice Department to find out who leaked the name. . .

to which you said. . .

Which really did not follow Larry original post. I was looking for a clarification from you when I posted. . .

Sorry for the confusion, but do you agree?

The Real Crime is the leak itself... thats it.

Unless its an Illegal operation, then its whistleblower stuff.

[@DCGoldPants]

Just was watching the lunchtime news.

It appears that the security chairs' from the Senate and Congress are weighing if they really want to have this investigation.

Why? Because they might be worried that it could lead back to the White House, or back to the Hill.

Not to mention, all the folks who didn't want to investigate the Plame situation, and how that's left to Fitzgerald, and not some Senate investigation. If they agree to that, they won't have a leg to stand on if the Dems want to have another investigation into the Plame leak, and basically, dragging everybody from Libby to Rove to Cheney in front of the cameras for the next year.