EXCLUSIVE: CIA asks Justice to probe leaks of secrets

[kpete]

Source: Washington Times

EXCLUSIVE: CIA asks Justice to probe leaks of secrets

By Eli Lake, Sara A. Carter THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Besieged by leaks of several closely held secrets, the CIA has asked the Justice Department to examine what it regards as the criminal disclosure of a secret program to kill foreign terrorist leaders abroad, The Washington Times has learned.

Two U.S. intelligence officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because of the sensitivity of the case, said the leak investigation involved a program that CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told Congress about in June and that surfaced in news reports just a month later.

The vice chairman of the the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence declined to discuss any possible leak investigations but told the Times on Thursday that a growing number of disclosures of highly secret programs, tactics and other information had caused "irreparable damage" to the U.S. intelligence community.

"They foil our attempts to carry out classified missions," Sen. Christopher S. Bond said in an interview. "They tell our intelligence community: We don't have your back; we're stabbing you in the back. Our allies ask us, 'How can we trust you to deal in classified matters in private, when the details are leaked to the press?'"

Read more: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/04/cia-asks-justice-to-probe-leaks-of-secrets/

[villager]

1. so how upset were they about the Plame leaks?

n/t

[24601]

20. If they had not referred the Plame disclosure to DOJ, there would

not have been an investigation.

In any case, I'll not judge propriety of actions that should be taken based on what "they" did or didn't do. If this was an unauthorized disclosure of legitimately classified information, then it should be investigated, period.

If the investigator determines it was not really classified, there will be no prosecution for the disclosure. Just remember not to lie in your statement because that can do you in.

[grasswire]

2. Moonies, Moonies, Moonies

What sort of mischief is going on now?

Methinks this is an effort to intimidate someone.

[aquart]

3. Eh. We still don't know who they killed.

And it's time we did.

[byebyegop]

4. This is obviously pushback from the torture investigation thing. n/t

[Wizard777]

5. Erik Prince on a most wanted list. Oh boo hoo. Who in security doesn't know that comes with the job?

Good news for Mr. Prince. I'm a 77 y/o retired executive bodyguard. I recently cleared my black list. I've managed to out live all the people that wanted me dead for messing up their plans. So if Xe is any good at personal protection. He has absolutely nothing to worry about. If they aren't all that good at personal protection. He should go out in his backyard and dig a hole. I didn't own the company either. I just worked for it. So :eyes:

:nopity:

[earcandle]

6. So why all the secrecy anyway? Why can't we conduct honest buisness above board? Who needs a CIA?

Except those who want to rob, rape, and plunder because some
people, in some parts of the government, and, some say, in the
bible too, say they can... 


THAT IS PSYCHOTIC!  

I think we need to clean up that perception or reality of
government and ban that book. 

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

7. The leaker was probably Bond

:redbox: :tv:

[formercia]

8. Don't do crazy shit and break the law

and people won't rat on you.

[No Elephants]

9. Maybe someone in the CIA leaked it? Or in Blackwater?

"One element of the new leak investigation involves a New York Times story last month that said the secret program employed the security contractor Xe - formerly known as Blackwater. The plan was never put into effect - and Mr. Panetta canceled it as soon as he learned of it, according to the CIA.

<snip>

The CIA routinely asks Justice to investigate unauthorized disclosures of classified information, but this one comes at a particularly delicate time for the spy agency. Its own interrogators face criminal investigation by the same department, and its relationship with lawmakers is evolving as a Democratic-controlled Congress has signaled a willingness to rein in some of the agency's activities.

If the Justice Department decides to mount a criminal investigation, it would have several potential subjects to interview, as the number of people who knew about the once closely held program expanded earlier this year. The Wall Street Journal on July 13 was the first to disclose details of the program and attributed the information to former intelligence officials.

The plan was a "special access program" - an activity or plan that is kept from officers with even the highest security clearances. As a result, the number of individuals aware of the program was extremely small at first. The pool grew much larger by the time it reached Congress and was briefed to the full House and Senate intelligence committees and senior staff."



BTW, note the source for this info:

But the disclosure has had other consequences: Al Qaeda has placed Xe's chief executive, Eric Prince, on its own version of a most-wanted list, said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the contractor.


If it was so bad that Panetta, a Nixonian, put an immediate stop to it ,maybe the American public should know about it. Oh, wait. It was only a program for BLACKWATER to assassinate folks that's been in effect sine 911. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124736381913627661.html

LOL, is the CIA sure it wants anyone looking into this mess?

[Soylent Brice]

10. bullshit. you can't ask for a witch hunt of whistle blowers.

Dear CIA,

FUCK YOU.

Yours Truly,

Soylent Brice

xoxo

[Pavulon]

14. When you sign the papers for a clearance it says 10 years federal if you break it. That includes

things you disagree with. If someone leaked classified data they are a criminal not a whistleblower. reporting forced overtime in a pig farm is whistle blowing, leaking something that was probably codename is highly illegal.

[coalition_unwilling]

21. When Ellsburg leaked the "Pentagon Papers,"

that disclosure was also "illegal."

We are talking about a CIA\Xe program to KILL PEOPLE EXTRA-JUDICIALLY! You don't want that type of information leaked???

[Pavulon]

22. To internal prosecutors not to the media

it is not about my personal wants but about the law. You sign the papers before you see the data.

[rucky]

11. Why do I feel that I'm on the set of Dr. Strangelove?

these people are in an alternate universe.

[sendero]

12. Guess what..

... we don't want you performing any secret operations, we don't trust you do to do the right thing in plain sight.

[leveymg]

13. If someone had leaked the plans for 9/11 before the attack, they'd probably be prosecuted

But, somehow the people in CIA -- Tenet, Black, Krongard -- who allowed known Al-Qaeda terrorists into the country (and hid that fact from FBI investigators) are immune from any accountability. Dick Cheney and George W. Bush are untouchable, even though they are ultimately responsible for refusing to issue orders to roll-up the Al-Qaeda cells known to be preparing attacks inside the U.S. When someone leaks to the public the fact that these same officials also ran a privatized assassination program that killed and tortured surviving witnesses, Republicans on the Intelligence Commitee call for a witch hunt against whistleblowers.

Someone needs to realign the priorities of the Agency, the Justice Department, and Intelligence oversight. I had hoped that Barack Obama, Eric Holder and Leon Panetta would do that. Looks like I'm going to be disappointed, again.

I guess we should be grateful that there are leaks.

[formercia]

15. There must be some really good dirt left to shovel out the door

if they are trying to scare any more potential whistle blowers.

[leveymg]

17. That is an encouraging thought.

I think, though, we have a pretty good overall picture of the organized crime family that was the Bush-Cheney Administration. It leaked like none since Watergate. That, in itself, tells me that even in the darkest days there were still plenty of good people left in gov't.

As for accountability, in Washington today the default position is to do nothing. Some around Obama probably have made a convincing case that putting BushCo on trial might be more trouble than it's worth, but keeping the possibility in reserve might be useful. That's a very short-sighted view, as we've seen the results over and over again since the Church Commission. The same perps pop back up into power, and just commit bigger crimes.

Almost makes one wish for a Star Chamber and a police to police the secret police and to spy on the spies. But, then, who holds them accountable? I'd like to say the people, but that probably assumes too much. Sigh.

[Political Heretic]

16. The CIA is a problem to everything, not a solution to anything.

In a just society, we'd be questioning the assumption that such an agency should even exist and have the sense of entitlement to unquestioned, unbridled power without accountability that the CIA assumes it is entitled to.

"The foil our attempts to carry out classified missions."

What's not allowed in mainstream political discourse, is the opinion that this is in point of fact, a good thing.

The CIA is simply an enforcement arm of our aggressive and hegemonic agenda around the globe. It is not indisputable fact that the agency is good.

[fascisthunter]

18. Valerie was Covert you lying fascist freaks!

and as for Blackwater, go fuck yourselves.

[XXXMADAM]

19. Who Dunnit?

I'm anxious to see who leaked!

xxx

http://fbicorruption.250free.com
http://www.defraudingamerica.com/robin_head.html

Who is the: betrayer, blabbermouth, canary, deep throat, double-crosser, fink, informant, narc, nark, rat, sneak, snitcher, source, squealer, stool pigeon, stoolie, tattler, tattletale, tipster, turncoat, weasel, whistle-blower