House Intel Chair Suspends (Democratic) Staff Member

[truthpusher]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-congress-leak,1,6918606.story

House Intel Chair Suspends Staff Member
By KATHERINE SHRADER
Associated Press Writer

6:31 PM PDT, October 19, 2006

WASHINGTON — House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra has suspended a Democratic staff member because of concerns he may have leaked a high-level intelligence assessment to The New York Times last month.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press Thursday night, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., a committee member, said that an unidentified staffer requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before the Sept. 23 story about its conclusions.

The staffer received the National Intelligence Estimate on global terror trends on Sept. 21.

"I have no credible information to say any classified information was leaked from the committee's minority staff, but the implications of such would be dramatic," LaHood wrote Hoekstra, R-Mich., late last month. "This may, in fact, be only coincidence, and simply 'look bad.' But coincidence, in this town, is rare."

A spokesman to Hoekstra, Jamal Ware, confirmed that a committee staff member was suspended this week. He said the staff member is being denied access to classified information pending the outcome of a review.

(snip)

An aide to California Rep. Jane Harman, the committee's top Democrat, did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.

The New York Times did not immediately answer a telephone message seeking comment.


link: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-congress-leak,1,6918606.story

[MadMaddie]

1. So is this a way to route out any Dems and claim that only

Republicans can be privy to information? More and more like Nazi Germany every day...

[razors edge]

2. with troops in 130 countries worldwide-

Hitler would blush at our level of accomplishment in comparison.

[acmejack]

3. "Eyebrows" LaHood is another punk who likes the partisan game.

Rest assured that is what his "concern" is, too! It's no coincidence it is Congresswoman Harmon's Staffer either.

[madrchsod]

6. lahood wanted denny`s job so bad it hurt

he`s stuck in peoria,illinois and he`s going nowhere...

[acmejack]

13. Oh yeah, when I first got sick, for a long time. I thought he was Hastert!

He was acting Speaker all the time & a mean looking dude, especially when he called for order! I didn't know what the hell was going on in those days so he was even more intimidating.

[Rose Siding]

4. NO credible info? Way to cast aspersions, ace.

[Demeter]

5. Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

How very like a Bush!

[anotherdrew]

7. so this one staffer is the only one to have requested the document?

that's hard to believe.

[buddysmellgood]

8. Wow. What would they do if they "thought" someone leaked the name of a CIA

agent?

[TankLV]

9. He is a HERO - what ELSE have the repukes been hiding?!

Tanklv would like to urge ALL PERSONS with access to classified information that proves REPUKE crimes to immediately come forward and release the evidence so we can begin prosecution of these TRAITORS!

[grytpype]

10. Give that staffer the Medal of Freedom.

[Straight Shooter]

11. Rove finally found his "look, something shiny" distraction for the masses.

See, see, Democrats are weak on national security.

:sarcasm:

(Pay no attention to Plame's career and Brewster-Jennings' cover up in flames behind the curtain.)

[Dover]

12. "...coincidence, in this town, is rare." Indeed.

Which which is why all those politicos wanting to use the "we are only human and make mistakes" excuses along with the "incompetence" excuses are false. These are all high powered strategists and you can bet that the majority of what happens is strategic and NOT coincidence.

[Ian David]

14. "I have no credible information to say any classified information..."

"I have no credible information to say any classified information was leaked..."

But, they'll suspend him anyway.

[rodeodance]

15. Harman: "I demand that you immediately reinstate the staffer's access to

......The Intelligence Committee's top Democrat, Jane Harman of California, wrote to Hoekstra that she was "appalled" by his action, which was "without basis."

"I demand that you immediately reinstate the staffer's access to classified information," she said.

A conference call to the committee's nine Democrats on Wednesday to inform them of the aide's suspension prompted outrage, said two congressional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal committee business.

The officials said that the National Intelligence Estimate was marked "secret," rather than "top secret" or another more restrictive classification. As a result, thousands of people would have had access to it, including the intelligence, armed services and international relations committees of the House.

The officials said the staff member acted appropriately in requesting the document on behalf of a committee member.

[Kagemusha]

16. The difference between "secret" and "top secret" is enormous.

If this was a "secret" document only, Harman's clearly 100% correct and this is indeed an action that should have Democrats aghast. Just goes to show that playing by the rules gets you in bad places.

[Polesitter]

32. Actually, the difference is three words:

Secret information is that which, if compromised, will cause serious damage to the national security. Top Secret is that which, if compromised, will cause exceptionally grave damage.

Members, like sitting Presidents and Vice Presidents, are constitutional officers who do not have to meet investigatory standards for access to classified material.

Congressional Staffers, like Executive Branch employees and military personnel must have a favorably adjudicated security investigation to be granted a clearance.

Access to certain information, especially compartmented CIA and NSA information, requires a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). All CIA and NSA personnel & contractors also take full-scope (counterintelligence and lifestyle) polygraphs and have an agency psych eval. Military assignees at NSA and CIA take only counterintelligence polygraphs and don't see the shrink. If an agency employee/assignee/contractor is suspected of an unauthorized disclosure, one the first steps is a very focused polygraph. Since a security clearance is not a right, the choice is take the test, resign, or face termination proceedings.

[Barrett808]

17. Democratic House staffer suspended over Iraq leak (by Rep. Hoekstra, R-MI)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has suspended a Democratic staff member over a possible leak of a politically explosive intelligence report involving Iraq, officials said on Friday.

The action, taken three weeks before the November election battle for control of Congress, brought a protest from the committee's leading Democrat who accused Republicans of political retaliation.

The staff member, who was not identified, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, officials said.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the panel chairman, ordered his security clearance suspended after another Republican lawmaker raised suspicions about the staffer's handling of an April national intelligence estimate on global terrorism.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061020/ts_nm/security_house_dc

[SteppingRazor]

18. Once again, punish the people who point out the problem...

not the people who caused it. This is standard Republican practice.

[Donnachaidh]

19. Thugs looking for scapegoats -- the witch hunt begins

You can just smell the NeoCon fear in the air. I hope this has the opposite effect -- and brings out the whistleblowers in droves.

[Nickster]

20. So let me get this right. If you are *suspected* of leaking a report

to the press you get your security clearance revoked immediately. On the other hand, if you are *nailed* leaking the name of a CIA agent to the press, you get promoted to domestic policy advisor in the West Wing and retain your security clearance? Do I have that right?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. That appears to be correct

File it under republican logic.

[rodeodance]

22. Democratic House staffer suspended over Iraq leak

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-10-20T194125Z_01_N20329816_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-HOUSE.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

Democratic House staffer suspended over Iraq leak

Fri Oct 20, 2006 3:41pm ET253


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has suspended a Democratic staff member over a possible leak of a politically explosive intelligence report involving Iraq, officials said on Friday.

The action, taken three weeks before the November election battle for control of Congress, brought a protest from the committee's leading Democrat who accused Republicans of political retaliation.

The staff member, who was not identified, has not been accused of any wrongdoing, officials said.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the panel chairman, ordered his security clearance suspended after another Republican lawmaker raised suspicions about the staffer's handling of an April national intelligence estimate on global terrorism.

Hoekstra spokesman Jamal Ware said the staffer will not be allowed into the committee's secure areas or to view classified material until the committee completes an in-house review of the matter.

[C_U_L8R]

23. Fired for being democratic

these repukes are gonna get theirs.. very soon

[rodeodance]

24. Jane Harman is having a fit over this:

"This may, in fact, be only coincidence, and simply look bad. But coincidence, in this town, is rare," LaHood said in a letter to Hoekstra.

The committee's senior Democrat, Rep. Jane Harman of California, accused Hoekstra of abusing his power and said in a statement that the staff member had requested the document on behalf of a lawmaker on the panel.

Harman described Hoekstra's "unilateral" action as retaliation for her decision this week to release an internal panel report on a former Republican committee member now in jail for a bribery conviction.

Relations between Republicans and Democrats on the intelligence committee have deteriorated sharply with the approach of the November 7 election, which analysts say could give Democrats control of the House for the first time since 1994.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

[RufusEarl]

25. This is purely political, not naming the staffer!!

If they had anything solid on this guy they would name him in a heart beat, they're just throwing crap out there to see if they can make anything stick. These people have no conscience

[rodeodance]

26. LaHood Admits He Was ‘Playing Politics’ (on Fox interview)

http://thinkprogress.org/

LaHood Admits He Was ‘Playing Politics’ When He Asked For Intel Staffer To Be Suspended »

This week, on the request of Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL), Intelligence Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) suspended a Democratic staffer’s access to classified information. Hoekstra said the suspension would remain in place pending a review to determine if that staffer leaked a classified National Intelligence Estimate to the New York Times.

Today on Fox News, LaHood said, “I’ll tell you why I did it. The reason I did it was because Jane Harman released the Duke Cunningham — who sat on our Intelligence committee — report.” That report, which detailed the misconduct of Cunningham, who is now serving a jail term, was not classified.

A Fox anchor asked, “So, it’s payback?” LaHood responded, “There are some of us on the other side who can equally play politics, and I’m not afraid to do it.” Watch it: Watch it:

[rodeodance]

27. Harman: Intell Com Chair Abused Power, Suspended Staffer to settle score.

http://thinkprogress.org/?tag=Intelligence

Harman: Intelligence Committee Chairman Abused Power, Suspended Staffer To Settle Political Score

Pete HoekstraThis week Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) suspended a committee staffer’s access to classified information. Hoekstra said the suspension would remain in place pending a review to determine if the staff leaked a classified National Intelligence Estimate to the New York Times.

Today, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), the ranking member of the committee, fired back:

The Chairman’s unilateral action is without basis and an abuse of his power to provide security accesses. There is no evidence to suggest that the professional staff member in question did anything wrong.

In May, the NIE was provided to multiple congressional committees and made available to thousands of individuals throughout the intelligence and policymaking community. The document was posted on the internal Committee website and available to every Committee staff member days before the story was published. In securing the document and providing it to a Member of the Committee in the secure Committee offices, this staffer acted appropriately.

The Chairman has acknowledged in a letter to me that his action was a direct response to my decision to release the 5-page unclassified Summary of the Cunningham Report by the Special Counsel.

[Kagemusha]

28. That's an outrage!!!

And I don't use those abused words often because I am one very cynical guy, but this, THIS is an outrage, knowingly and with premeditation making a false charge costing someone his security clearance and forcing him to be suspended from his legitimate livelihood in public service out of pure political payback against a committee member of the other party.

That is sick, that is disgusting, that is wrong.

Edit: And it is absolutely disgusting that the chairman of the committee does this on the request of a member of the majority party either not knowing, or not caring, that the request was made out of pure payback purposes.

[rodeodance]

29. they do it cause they can and no one will stop them.

[Kagemusha]

30. Yeah, but admitting the suspension was without cause was brain dead.

That may yet have repercussions someday...

[rodeodance]

31. Democratic House staffer suspended over Iraq leak

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