thew Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Newsweek http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5123436/site/newsweek/ June 2 - The Iraqi exile group headed by Ahmad Chalabi—formerly a key ally of the Bush administration—is suspected of leaking confidential information about U.S. war plans for Iraq to the government of Iran before last year’s invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, government sources told NEWSWEEK. The allegation that Chalabi may have supplied the Iranians information about U.S. military plans comes on the heels of recent disclosures that Chalabi or others in his organization may have compromised more recent U.S. intelligence operations by leaking what officials initially described as “extremely sensitive” and “highly classified” information to Iranian officials—information which could “get people killed” if abused by the Iranians. NEWSWEEK has learned that the National Security Agency first uncovered evidence indicating Chalabi’s possible compromises of U.S. intelligence and sent a criminal referral to the FBI requesting an investigation into the alleged leak to Iran. A similar referral was sent to the FBI by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which until recently was responsible for managing Pentagon payments to Chalabi’s group and for supervising its intelligence-collection efforts. Last week, U.S. intelligence officials requested that NEWSWEEK and several other media organizations refrain from publishing some details about what kind of intelligence information Chalabi and the INC were alleged to have given to the Iranians. After some details surfaced in print and TV reports earlier this week, however, officials withdrew their requests, leading to a spate of media reports alleging that Chalabi or one of his associates told the Iranians that U.S. intelligence had cracked a secret code system used by the Iranian intelligence service. U.S. political activists close to Chalabi have told reporters in recent days that Chalabi learned about the codebreaking in Baghdad from a drunken U.S. official. The evidence that Chalabi had compromised U.S. codebreaking was disclosed to President Bush and Vice President Cheney several weeks ago and was a factor in the decision to raid the INC’s headquarters in Baghdad last month. It also influenced high-level Bush administration efforts to distance the administration in recent days from Chalabi, who had once been viewed by Pentagon civilians as a favored candidate to replace Saddam Hussein as Iraq's government leader. "This is an enormous loss to the U.S. intelligence community," one former U.S. intelligence official said today about the reported leak of the secret code system. "Obviously, the Iranians are not going to use that code anymore. We're going from having a complete window into what their intelligence service was doing to having no window at all." Until last month, Chalabi’s INC was being paid $340,000 per month out of secret Defense Department intelligence funds for “information collection.” Officials of the NSA and DIA declined to comment. But law-enforcement sources confirmed that the FBI has opened an investigation into the codebreaking leak. The investigation will look into whether Chalabi or his group supplied information about U.S. codebreaking efforts to the Iranians. But, given that Chalabi is not a U.S. citizen and does not have a U.S. security clearance, the more critical issue for investigators will be to find out who in the U.S. government might have leaked such highly sensitive information to Chalabi and the INC, some officials say. Law-enforcement sources indicated that the American investigation will likely focus on whether sensitive information might have been leaked to Chalabi by officials in either the Pentagon or the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. Chalabi and some of his supporters in Washington have insisted that not only did he not compromise U.S. intelligence information by leaking it to Iran but that neither he nor his routine U.S. contacts had access to such tightly guarded American secrets. Chalabi’s supporters claim that the Iranian leak investigation is simply being used by Chalabi’s enemies in the U.S. bureaucracy—particularly at the State Department and CIA—as an excuse to have him sidelined from the Iraqi political process. They see the related FBI investigation as an excuse for a "witch hunt" against Chalabi supporters inside the administration and in the Pentagon in particular. Administration officials are treating the allegations with deadly seriousness, however. In remarks to reporters today, White House national-security adviser Condoleezza Rice acknowledged: “Now, it’s no secret that the relationship with Ahmad Chalabi has been somewhat strained of late.” President Bush also distanced himself from Chalabi, saying he had only met the Iraqi very briefly a few times. U.S. officials say the investigations into Chalabi’s activities may have a long way to go. In addition to the inquiry into the leak of classified information to Iran, Chalabi and the INC are under investigation for corruption by Iraqi authorities, who last month staged a raid on his home and office in Baghdad, and last weekend drove INC personnel out of a satellite office in the Iraqi provinces. One Bush administration official said that in addition to harboring suspicions that Chalabi had been leaking sensitive U.S. information to Iran both before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, some U.S. officials also believe that Chalabi had collected and maintained files of potentially damaging information on U.S. officials with whom he had or was going to interact for the purpose of influencing them. Some officials said that when Iraqi authorities raided Chalabi’s offices, one of the things American officials hoped they would look for was Chalabi’s cache of information he had gathered on Americans. © 2004 Newsweek, Inc. Just Bush being Bush!! Kerry in 2004 cause Chalabi doen't have a file on him yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 One Bush administration official said that in addition to harboring suspicions that Chalabi had been leaking sensitive U.S. information to Iran both before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, some U.S. officials also believe that Chalabi had collected and maintained files of potentially damaging information on U.S. officials with whom he had or was going to interact for the purpose of influencing them. Some officials said that when Iraqi authorities raided Chalabi’s offices, one of the things American officials hoped they would look for was Chalabi’s cache of information he had gathered on Americans. Unfortunately, the search didn't turn up any damaging information. Or then again, maybe it did, and Bush has it now. Or then again, maybe it did, and the Iraqis have it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 From Gertz- FBI probes charge of Chalabi leak to Iran By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES U.S. officials yesterday confirmed the FBI is investigating whether a government employee provided Iraqi political leader Ahmed Chalabi intelligence he is accused of giving Iran, but several said the prominent member of Iraq's now-dissolved Governing Council is the target of a disinformation campaign. One official said Mr. Chalabi, who until recently had been on the payroll of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was set up by his enemies in Iraq, Iran or the Central Intelligence Agency, which views him with suspicion. "Why are the Iranians setting up Chalabi? They want an Islamic republic and he represents democratic, secular Shi'ites. They saw him maneuvering for power and they wanted to discredit him," the official said. A U.S. intelligence official said the unauthorized disclosure probe is focusing on officials in Baghdad. Several news organizations, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, reported yesterday Mr. Chalabi told the Iranian intelligence chief in Baghdad that the United States had cracked the communication codes Iran uses and was intercepting its messages. The Iranian supposedly then transmitted the information to Tehran by electronic communication that was intercepted and decoded by U.S. intelligence. The message said Mr. Chalabi learned of the code breaking from an intoxicated American official. The intercepted message, which was closely held by the White House National Security Council, was viewed with suspicion at the Pentagon but welcomed at the CIA, which has viewed Mr. Chalabi as an unreliable informant. No other information links Mr. Chalabi, whose home in Iraq was raided last month, to the Iranian compromise, one official said. An intelligence source said U.S. intelligence has not been gaining valuable intelligence from Iranian communications for longer than the reported compromise several weeks ago. The CIA declined to comment on the accusations against Mr. Chalabi. In Najaf, Iraq, Mr. Chalabi dismissed reports that he compromised U.S. intelligence to Iran. "This is false," Mr. Chalabi told the Associated Press. "Where would I get this from? I have no such information. How would I know anything about that? That's stupid from every aspect." The New York Times first reported the FBI investigation into the suspected intelligence disclosure. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that she could not comment on intelligence issues related to Mr. Chalabi. Within the Bush administration, Mr. Chalabi created enemies at the State Department and CIA, an official said. "The State Department is petrified he's going to become the prime minister in Iraq and the CIA is afraid that if he becomes a leader, he will never let them into the country," the official said. Richard Perle, a Chalabi supporter who until recently was a member of a Pentagon policy advisory board, said he doubts that Mr. Chalabi would disclose such information or that Iran would risk revealing that it had learned of the compromise through a suspect communications exchange. "I think it's absurd on its face to think that if the Iranians had learned from Ahmed Chalabi or anybody else that their most sensitive communications channels were compromised they would reveal that in those channels," Mr. Perle said. "Instead, they would use those channels for disinformation and would not reveal their knowledge. That's [intelligence] 101. It doesn't pass the laugh test." http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040602-111844-5947r.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkyalligator Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Give me a break.....you would have to be an idiot not realize what a scumbag Chalabi was......there have been stories about him for a long time....it was just a matter of dealing with the lesser evil...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by aREDSKIN Several news organizations, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, reported yesterday Mr. Chalabi told the Iranian intelligence chief in Baghdad that the United States had cracked the communication codes Iran uses and was intercepting its messages. The Iranian supposedly then transmitted the information to Tehran by electronic communication that was intercepted and decoded by U.S. intelligence. The message said Mr. Chalabi learned of the code breaking from an intoxicated American official. The intercepted message, which was closely held by the White House National Security Council, was viewed with suspicion at the Pentagon but welcomed at the CIA, which has viewed Mr. Chalabi as an unreliable informant. I trust Chalabi about as far as I can throw cheesecake underwater, but... He supposedly leaks to Iranian officials that the US had broken Iranian codes - information which that Iranian official sends along in a coded message???? If Iran knew their codes had been broken, they also knew that this message would be decoded, thus both exposing the asset who'd given them their info, and exposing the fact that they knew their codes had been broken, thus eliminating the possibility of spreading disinformation. Makes no sense.... A more likely scenario might be that Iran suspected their codes had been broken, so they sent a test message alluding to that fact that would implicate a plausible suspect of some value to America. The arrest of Chalabi thus embarrasses the Americans, destroys any value he might have to American operations, and confirms Iranian suspicions that their communications have been compromised. Again, I agree that Chalabi is a scumbag; but the given story doesn't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Have you guys seen the footage of Bush trying to say he barely even knew Chalabi? Hysterical. "Um, I heard about him from other people... and maybe said hi to him in the rope line once or twice" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Thanks to Saddam killing off suspected anti Saddam types the US and the world will have to deal with slimy types for the duration. What Blackmail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sick Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by Hooper Have you guys seen the footage of Bush trying to say he barely even knew Chalabi? Hysterical. "Um, I heard about him from other people... and maybe said hi to him in the rope line once or twice" Yeah, the Daily Show ran it last night. Funny stuff. "I did not have political relations with that gentleman...Mr. Chalabi." :laugh: ---- It's the same song and dance when he tried to distance himself from "Kenny Boy" Lay. The worst part is, Bush himself believes it. He is such a simpleton, he can convince himself of anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by Funkyalligator Give me a break.....you would have to be an idiot not realize what a scumbag Chalabi was......there have been stories about him for a long time....it was just a matter of dealing with the lesser evil...... Bingo. We have a winner ladies and gentlemen. OT – Thew, Why do you have a picture of Regan in your sig and yet say youre going to vote for Kerry? That’s akin to me going to synagogue and saying I love Hitler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 "OT – Thew, Why do you have a picture of Regan in your sig and yet say youre going to vote for Kerry? That’s akin to me going to synagogue and saying I love Hitler." Please. That's one of the most ridiculous, close-minded things I've ever read on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by Hooper Please. That's one of the most ridiculous, close-minded things I've ever read on this board. Then you need to be reading the boards more often. :doh: Having Regan in your sig and yet saying your going to vote for Kerry doesn’t make sense. Kerry’s ideology is antithetical to everything Regan stood for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thew Posted June 3, 2004 Author Share Posted June 3, 2004 oldschool OT – Thew, Why do you have a picture of Regan in your sig and yet say youre going to vote for Kerry? That’s akin to me going to synagogue and saying I love Hitler. As I've said on many occassions. I am a life long Republican who has never voted for a democrat in my life for president. Don't believe I've voted for one otherwise either but I'm not sure. As such I don't believe Bush is a conservative. He might be a NeoConservative but I don't believe they're conservative either. Bush's First Term He's had his budgets passed for the last three years and delivered record deficites, not even counting the hundreds of billions for the wars which is off budget He's turned a 200 billion surplus Republicans fought for for a decade into a 400 billion dollar deficite which is unforgiveable. He's grown government by 400,000 jobs He's cut taxes but has increased government spending needlessly to record levels. He's taken our country into an elective war and he was totally factually wrong on his stated reasons... AND HE KNEW IT AT THE TIME HE MADE THEM!!... uranium, wmd, Al Quada link.. yada yada yada He's failed to plan for the aftermath of said war and is likely on the verge of loosing it He is the first President since Hoover ( the great depression ) to have a net loss of jobs over an entire term in office. Clinton created 11 million jobs in his first term in office, Bush has lost a million so far. He is advocationg an open immigration policy with Mexico which once passed would not be reviewable by Congress... Insane! Bush has once again failed to adiquately fund his own public education budget and once again failed to address one of the most glaring needs America has. When I attended public schools our public school system was the envy of the world. Currently an American pubic education ranks behind some third world countries. The Head Start Program for the working poor is some of the best money spent by the government. A child attending head start has a 50% better chance of avoiding a life of welfare statistics show. Bush has proposed cutting the program. His trade policy with China is more insanity and he refuses to use any of safe guards in the treaty to protect our economy from the devistating results of his allowing China into the WTO 1 out of 7 manufacturing jobs have disappeared under Bush Bush has exported just about our entire high tech computer software industry to India and China. He has raise a second record breaking re-election fund mostly from big business who owns him. He is a Xenophob who has severely destroyed and discredited two of the cornerstones of American foreign policy for the last five decades.. Nato and the UN. Bush has single handedly weakened every Americans Constitutional rights by continously disregarding them in pursute of unAmerican torture, abuse, and extrajudicial incarsceration by the federal government. Bush has ignored the folks who attacked us on 911 in favor of attacking Iraq who had nothing to do with it. Bush has made the country and the world less safe in the short term and the long term by being an idiot and playing right into the terrorists hands by stoking up Arab nationalism and anti Americanism thoughout the world. In Bush's economy the fasted growing job sectors are the federal government and the fast food industry. We should really run him out of town on a rail rather after we vote him out of office! Bush refuses to hold anybody in his administration responsible for his many many mistakes and mis steps so I am forced to hold him responsible. Bottom line, Bush has weakenned the economy, weakened us internationally, and been bad for the country!.... Worst President in a generation. For all these reason I feel the only real vote a conservative has in 2004 is Kerry. He might be bad, but Bush is record setting world class bad on all fronts!. Hopefully a Republican Congress will have more balls to stand up to a Democratic President than they've shown with a Republican President. I'm sure Ronnie would agree with me, and if not he would forgive me if he knew what my choices where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by thew As I've said on many occassions. I am a life long Republican who has never voted for a democrat in my life for president. Don't believe I've voted for one otherwise either but I'm not sure. As such I don't believe Bush is a conservative. He's had his budgets passed for the last three years and delivered record deficites, not even counting the hundreds of billions for the wars which is off budget He's grown government by 400k jobs He's cut taxes but has increased government spending needlessly to record levels. He's taken our country into an elective war He's failed to plan for the aftermath of said war and is likely on the verge of loosing it He is the first President since Hoover ( the great depression ) to have a net loss of jobs over an entire term in office. Clinton created 11 million jobs in his first term in office, Bush has lost a million so far. He is advocationg an open immigration policy with Mexico which once passed would not be reviewable by Congress... Insane! His trade policy with China is more insanity and he refuses to use any of safe guards in the treaty to protect our economy from the devistating results of his allowing China into the WTO 1 out of 7 manufacturing jobs have disappeared under Bush Bush has exported just about our entire high tech computer software industry to India and China. He has raise a second record breaking re-election fund mostly from big business who owns him. He is a Xenophob who has severely destroyed and discredited two of the cornerstones of American foreign policy for the last five decades.. Nato and the UN. Bush refuses to hold anybody in his administration responsible for his many many mistakes and mis steps so I am forced to hold him responsible. For all thise reason I feel the only real vote a conservative has in 2004 is Kerry. He might bad, but Bush is record setting world class bad on all fronts!.. I'm sure Ronnie would agree with me, and if not he would forgive me if he knew what my choices are. Fair enough. I share many of the same concerns as you do. Im new to reading this side of the site, that’s the reason I asked. Thanks for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 then why did you tell him he should be reading the boards more often? if you are the one new to this side? just curious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Thew, I agree emphatically with your first 4 criticisms of Bush. Like his father, he is a Nixonian Republican - one who talks to the far right, but legislates to the far left. Admittedly, as a % of GDP, Reagan's deficit his first term in office was as bad as W's. However, Reagan inherited the aftermath of a disastrous monetary policy from his predecessor, and much of these deficits were part of Volcker's correction policies at the fed to wipe out inflation. Therefore, W's deficits are atrocious. On the other hand, you've made several factual errors in your critique. Clinton led the way to bring China into the WTO (which, quite frankly, is a positive thing.) Secondly, Reagan was an advocate of free trade. Reagan was the one who began the Uruguay round of the GATT talks, and the one who originally proposed NAFTA (though he did little work on the latter beyond proposing the idea). NATO was only a cornerstone when we were faced with the threat from the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact. It has outlived its usefulness. The UN was never a cornerstone of US foreign policy. Only in Korea and the first Gulf War did we ever even bother with it. Reagan never consulted the UN on Libya or Grenada. In fact, he scoffed at their condemnation of the former. W is not promoting an all-out open immigration policy with Mexico, but rather an increase in the number of legal immigrants who can come here temporarily. Have you forgotten that Reagan prmoted and passed the largest ever naturalization of illegals during his term in office? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Originally posted by AJWatson3 then why did you tell him he should be reading the boards more often? if you are the one new to this side? just curious? He made a comment about me making a “narrow minded” comment. My response was that it actually wasn’t that narrow minded and that worse things are said on both sides of the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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