WP: Rarely Invoked Statute Could Play Role

[kskiska]

Few, if Any, Have Been Prosecuted Under 1982 Law to Shield Agents' Identities

An obscure law that could come into play in an investigation of alleged leaks by the Bush administration has rarely, if ever, been used to prosecute someone for the unauthorized disclosure of a covert U.S. agent's name, people familiar with the law said yesterday.

The law, the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, was enacted in 1982 and was designed to protect the identities of covert U.S. agents. It was a response to an organized campaign led by former CIA agent Philip Agee to identify CIA and other U.S. covert agents around the world.

After it was signed into law, the measure quickly faded into obscurity. Government officials said yesterday they could not recall a single prosecution under the law, although they said they could not completely rule that out.

But now that long-forgotten statute has been resurrected in connection with allegations that Bush administration officials leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer to syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak in an attempt to discredit the officer's husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19699-2003Sep29.html

[Booster]

1. Bush will declare

that this law is outdated and wipe it from the books; never to be read again. Talk about Teflon - this guy is King of Teflon.

[tsipple]

2. So Much Irony

George W. Bush's father pushing to get the law passed.

[Stephanie]

3. Why did Agee do that?

Was it a protest of some kind?

[gratuitous]

4. Philip Agee

Agee was a CIA agent who "came in from the cold," that is, voluntarily terminated his cover as a secret agent. He wrote a book published in 1975 called "CIA Diary: Inside the Company," which divulged many of the dirty operations of the CIA from its inception after World War II until the 1970s. Excerpts here:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA/CIA_Diary_Agee.html

George Bush the Elder was head of Central Intelligence at the time of the book's publication, and it is widely considered that Bush, vice president in 1982, was the driving force behind the law under discussion in this thread. It would surely be ironic if Bush the Stupider got tripped up by his daddy's law, when it has been his daddy and those connections that have paved the way for whatever success he has experienced in his miserable, wasted life.

[dbt]

7. It would be way beyond ironic

"if Bush the Stupider got tripped up by his daddy's law." I believe it would me more like Poetic Justice!

:evilgrin:
dbt

[dbt]

8. It would be way beyond ironic

(wow! two posts with one press of the button!)

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. There are a lot of 'long-forgotten statute's in the Bush Administration

like the first amendment, the fourth amendment, the oath of office, etc...

[Democat]

6. That's what I was going to say!

Good post! :)

[Robin Hood]

9. Bwahahahaha!!

Bitten by their man Raygun.

[sandnsea]

10. Obscure Law? Rarely Invoked?

That's because responsible decent Americans don't run around blowing the cover of CIA operatives for chrissake. WTF kind of journalism is this? Do they have to have Bush stick a WMD up their ass before they get the fucking picture?

[MoonAndSun]

11. This is an important part of this Wilson story,

a kick :kick: for the late morning crowd!