Republican says US readying crackdown on leaks

[stevedeshazer]

Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:32pm ET

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is preparing a crackdown on intelligence leaks to the media and will try to pursue prosecutions in some recent cases, the chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

Michigan Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra also suggested some unauthorized leaks could have been deliberate attempts to help al Qaeda.

"More frequently than what we would like, we find out that the intelligence community has been penetrated, not necessarily by al Qaeda, but by other nations or organizations," he said.

"I don't have any evidence. But from my perspective, when you have information that is leaked that is clearly helpful to our enemy, you cannot discount that possibility," he added.

more: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-07-12T003233Z_01_N11276431_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-HOEKSTRA.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

[skooooo]

1. "I don't have any evidence...."

Then shut the F*** up.

[wordpix2]

23. That's what repukes do---start wars without evidence, prosecute leakers

witout evidence...:puke:

[Richard Steele]

27. And FIRE people who try to GIVE them evidence...

...of foreign Agents inside our Intelligence Agencies.
(While slapping them with gag orders so that they can't
give the evidence to anyone else)


Does the name 'Sibel Edmonds' sound familiar to this guy?
http://www.justacitizen.com/

[tanyev]

2. Ja wohl!

www.oldamericancentury.org

[tom_paine]

3. That would be taking things to another level

If they begin Soviet Kangaroo Courts of journalists over this fradulent bullshit, then mid-transition phase has begun.

Will they televise and publicize the trials, so the few honest competent journalists remaining and we Imperial Subjects get the message with a f*cking Bush-sized exclamation point?

Or will they go for their preferred method, secret and quiet? Gitmo Tribunals? Nah, even they probably will not rub our faces in the sh*t quite that far.

Just very quiet, maybe. In any case, however they do it, Soviet Kangaroo Courts is taking it a step further.

And risking exposing their evil to an even wider group.

On the other hand, they've gotten away with everything else... :shrug:

[stevedeshazer]

13. Your historical analysis is correct, in my view

There's a parallel to be drawn between the Soviet-style show trial with a predetermined outcome, staged for the benefit of the proletariat.

Then, of course, there's Free Republic.

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. So Karl Rove's Getting Fired?

watch me as I hold my breath :sarcasm:






























moran.

[MadMaddie]

6. I was going to ask "are they going to prosecute themselves"?

[wordpix2]

24. my thought, too--let's go after the Leakers-in-Chief, Bush-Cheney-Rover

who blew Valerie Plame's cover and whole operation with Brewster Jennings to follow the trail of WMD merchant AQ Khan. THAT IS TREASON!!!

[Gman]

5. Gee, maybe these leaks are EXPOSING LAW BREAKING!!!

YOU STUPID FUCK HOEKSTRA OR WHATEVER THE HELL YOUR NAME IS, YOU ASS!!!!!!!!!!!

[wordpix2]

25. the leakers-in-chief don't want their lawbreaking exposed, exactly

[AlamoDemoc]

7. I will bet anyone if these senators and congress folks were quizzed ...

...the same test of new citizens many would fail too. They have neglected their duty to of shared power between congress and executive miserably.

[msongs]

8. repubs gonna start shooting americans. why not, unless people fight

back the fascists will get away with everything.

who is defending the right to a free press? who is defending the right to free speech? who is defending the right to freedom
of assembly? Who is defending the freedom FROM religion?

it had better be the democratic party Inc of the USA.


Msongs
www.msongs.com/6for2008.htm

see you at democracyfest in San Diego July 14-17
www.democracyfest.us

[Ringo84]

9. Trying to save their own asses (nt)

[Jets2Brazil]

10. Thank God We're Going to hold the NYT Accountable...

Because, you know, I'm sure it never occurred to Al Qaeda that the US may be monitoring banking transactions until the story broke.

Hell, Osama bin Laden himself probably used to pop over to the local Citibank branch to make withdrawals from his free checking account. We coulda nailed him too, if it weren't for those meddling reporters.

[chill_wind]

14. LOL! That was good :-)

[grasswire]

11. open the floodgates, whistleblowers...

...they can't prosecute everyone. There is protection in solidarity, in mass numbers.

Stand together. Open the gates. Let it out. Now.

[stevedeshazer]

12. Important context: Hoekstra is speaking to the Heritage Foundation

Two important points.

First, Hoekstra is clearly pandering to the right. He got caught making challenging statements about the Bush Crime Family.

Second, like every other House representative, he doesn't want to bite the hand that feeds him his re-election money.

He got a very special phone call or visit, if I'm reading correctly between the lines.

[wordpix2]

26. yes, he got slapped down after his comments re: even more * secret spying

than we knew about before

http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/09/hoekstra-bush-hiding-more-unchecked-spy-programs/

Hoekstra: Bush Hiding More Unchecked Spy Programs
By: John Amato on Sunday, July 9th, 2006 at 11:40 AM - PDT

The New York Times published a letter from Republican Representative Pete Hoekstra to President Bush. Hoekstra, who is chairman of of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized Bush for hiding surveillance programs from Congressional oversight.

On this morning’s Fox News Sunday, Hoekstra said that a whistleblower came to him with several more spying operations that were in danger of being abused without oversight.

Video -WMP Video -QT (rough transcript)

Hoekstra: …this is actually a case where the whistleblower process was working appropriately. Some people within the intelligence community brought to my attention some programs that they believed we had not been briefed on. They were right. We have now been briefed on those programs, but I wanted to reinforce to the President and to the executive branch in the intelligence community how important and by law–the requirement that they keep the legislative branch informed of what they are doing. snip

[stevedeshazer]

30. Thanks for that link

Just got home from work.

[mike_c]

15. "I don't have any evidence."

That pretty much says all that needs to be said. Any further speculation is bullshit.

[Up2Late]

16. "...helpful to our enemy, you cannot discount that possibility,"

Sure I can! You're a liar.:mad:

[chill_wind]

17. What is this guy running for next? He's looking for *something*....n/t

[samsingh]

18. i assume they're referring to Plame.

[sugapablo]

19. Coming soon to a US city near you....

[MasonJar]

20. I hadn't heard of the OldAmericaCentury so I slipped over there.

Thanks for the link; I added it to my favorites. Great find for me.

[Jawja]

21. Ok. When do we see the

Sr. officials who outed Plame prosecuted? :mad:

on edit: That INCLUDES the traitor, Robert Novak.

[stepnw1f]

22. Excluding Rove and others in the GOP, Right?

can you say AUTHORITARIAN?

[FVZA_Colonel]

28. And let me guess that when these investigations come, the

Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times shall be spared.

[Historic NY]

29. Shouldn't they start with the big leaks...............

and then work their way down. I mean we already know there have been lots of leaks so why not start with the oldest ones first. When does Cheney get it? :argh:

[omenapoint]

31. It is about time those dumbasses stop the leaks.

How effective can a government be when it can't even keep important info secret and can't keep the NYTimes and others from telling the world about it?

They need to get a clue on operational security.

[KAZ]

32. Missed your sarcasm tag. n/t

n/t.