White House Insists James Clapper Will Not Lead NSA Surveillance Review

[Purveyor]

The White House has moved to dampen controversy over the role of the director of national intelligence James Clapper in a panel reviewing NSA surveillance, insisting that he would neither lead it nor choose the members.

Statements by Barack Obama and Clapper on Monday night were widely interpreted as the director of national intelligence being placed in charge of the inquiry, which the president had announced on Friday would be "independent".

The apparent involvement of Clapper, who has admitted lying to Congress over NSA surveillance of US citizens, provoked a backlash, with critics accusing the president of putting a fox in charge of the hen house.

But the White House national security council insisted on Tuesday that Clapper's role would be more limited.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/white-house-james-clapper-nsa-surveillance-review

[Catherina]

1. Right.... He just gets to choose the panel that reports to him and then interpret the results lol.

Putting Mr Fox Clapper in charge of investigating the mysterious chicken deaths is a sham. There's already an independent board that both Bush and Obama neglected and ignored.

What Obama wants is someone who reports to him and can help contain and package the scandal.

[arely staircase]

3. not according to the story.

"would neither lead it nor choose the members."

but you have some inside info?

[WillyT]

6. Yes... Go Here:

Link (.pdf file): http://www.emptywheel.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2013inteltech.mem_.rel_.pdf

[arely staircase]

8. I don't click into FDL

you will have to cut and paste the relevant portion.

[WillyT]

11. First Of All... It Ain't FDL... Secondly... It's A .pdf Of A White House Document... Thirdly...

[arely staircase]

12. oh, I thought emptywheel was jamne hamster the obama hater

its not?

[pmorlan1]

2. LOL

If you believe this I have a bridge to sell to you. LOL

This is so pathetic. Anyone who defends this move obviously has no self respect. If they defend this obvious lie they will justify anything and shouldn't be taken seriously.

[arely staircase]

4. defend the move of him not chosing or leading it? nt

[leftstreet]

5. Newspeak: 'Establish' now means 'facilitate'

LOL

[WillyT]

7. K & R !!!

[1awake]

9. K&R n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. How about having Daniel Ellsberg or Anthony Romero (ACLU executive director) to do the review?

And, not allow "on grounds of national security" prevent anything from being reviewed?

[Scurrilous]

13. Next poutrage please!

[Hydra]

14. LOL

If this was anything other than a farce, Clapper wouldn't be involved at all.