McCain: CIA Misled Congress On Missing American

[DonViejo]

ASSOCIATED PRESS – DECEMBER 16, 2013, 7:32 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain says he is disturbed the Obama administration has not been more forthcoming about an American who disappeared while on a secret intelligence mission to Iran.

McCain said he is confident the U.S. is doing all it can to learn what has happened to Robert Levinson, but he told CNN's "State of the Union" the CIA has not been forthcoming with the Congress about him. Iran's foreign minister, meanwhile, asserted that Levinson is "not incarcerated by the government and I believe the government runs, pretty much, good control of the country."

An Associated Press investigation published last week found that Levinson was working for the CIA -- investigating the Iranian government. The U.S. long has publicly described Levinson as a private citizen who traveled to an Iranian island on private business. McCain, R-Ariz., told CNN "the CIA did not tell the truth to the Congress" about Levinson. He said he doesn't "think there's any doubt" about whether Iran knows Levinson's fate.

But Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, when asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" where Levinson is, replied: "I have no idea."

:::snip:::

full article:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/mccain-cia-misled-congress-on-missing-american--2

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McCain is just too, too awesome! First he flies to the Ukraine to meet with opposition leaders (one of whom is a proven anti-Semite as well as anti other minorities - http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251343909) then he rushes back to the U.S. to appear on the Sunday gas bag programs. This is the kind of man that should be President of the U.S!!!! A proven leader!

[question everything]

1. I still don't understand that "unauthorized" mission

Either he was told to go or he was not and went on his own?

[DonViejo]

2. The last I heard, on NPR last week...

was that an unauthorized faction within the CIA sent him on an unauthorized mission to Iran.

[question everything]

4. Thanks. Wonder whether this faction within the CIA still exists

It is not as if the CIA constantly walks on eggs. Why have a faction there with its own agenda and, apparently, resources?

Seems one more blunder caused by the Bush administration and having to be handled by the Obama.

[DonViejo]

6. As I was typing my earlier response to you,...

I couldn't help but think, this is right out of the Bourne movies! In the NPR interview they described "the program" this guy was in as being renegade. I'm betting it was under the operation of Darth Cheney.

[karynnj]

3. McCain's grandstanding is ridiculous

First of all, the story is not necessarily known. The AP may have things wrong. If the man was working for the CIA, why would McCain think it helpful for the US to say so?

Not to mention, who was President in March 2007 when he was reportedly abducted? It would seem that acting soon after the event - through back channels - in more likely to work than demanding a country return a spy.


Another question is why is this surfacing 6 and a half years later? Can this be part of the effort to reduce further the support for the Iran diplomacy?

[DFW]

5. But McCain WANTS the CIA to mislead Congress

When they found that Saddam had no WMD and duly reported it, McCain was with the Cheney crowd that wanted the evidence to say the opposite of what the CIA found so we could march into Iraq. So when it's a Republican administration, McCain wants the CIA to mislead Congress, but now suddenly he doesn't?

Why doesn't he just fill a CIA request form, and drop it off at the entrance to Langley in their suggestion box?*

*OK, so there's no such thing, but McCain wouldn't know that. At this point, I'm surprised he knows where his shoelaces are.