GOP Lawmakers Alter Intelligence Reform Bill to Cloak Financial Ties

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — Citing national security concerns, some Republican members of Congress are trying to limit the personal financial information that top federal officials must disclose.

Tucked within the House's 497-page version of the "9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act" is a provision to repeal the requirement that senior-level officials report their personal financial assets valued at more than $2.5 million. It also would end the practice of disclosing the dates of stock transactions.

The proposal to limit financial disclosures initially covered only top-level intelligence officials. It was recently expanded to include all executive branch officials, according to a draft version of the bill.
..........
The new disclosure provision was included during the conference committee negotiations. "They're burying it in a large bill that is very controversial on other issues, so no one is going to pay any attention to this," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a government watchdog group.

The new disclosure policies would make it harder to detect when officials have personal financial stakes in matters before them, watchdog groups say. The current rules require officials to list the value of their assets in categories, beginning at "none or less than $1,000" and ending at "more than $50 million."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-disclose16nov16,1,5793963.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

[rodeodance]

1. flood Congress with your emails NOW

send them this article; the gull of this move!!!!
Citing national security concerns,}(

[carolinalady]

2. you mean like ties with Saudi royals?

"The new disclosure policies would make it harder to detect when officials have personal financial stakes in matters before them, watchdog groups say. The current rules require officials to list the value of their assets in categories, beginning at "none or less than $1,000" and ending at "more than $50 million."

[Rose Siding]

3. It would protect corporatism across the board, if I'm reading it right

That would cover policy profiteering as well as outright war profiteering.

[silvershadow]

4. why doesn't this surprise me? n/t

[Beetwasher]

5. Cash And Carry! Good Grief!

Sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick motherfuckers...

[apnu]

6. don't worry it will come crashing down on them soon

In a combination of Tea Pot Dome and the crash of '29.

Look for me in the bread lines, I'll be wearing the Red Wings hockey hat. I'll trade you my extra can of beans for your extra loaf of bread.

[Arianrhod]

10. The Republicans are going to run themselves off a cliff.

I predicted in 2001 that * would take the party down with him. I still think that will happen; unfortunately, I now believe it's going to hurt a lot of innocent people as it does. :(

[apnu]

16. Oh yeah we are all in this pain boat together, but I'm looking at the...

... pyrrhic victory here. Der Chimp is a ruinous monster, but people in this country do nothing unless a great calamity effects us all. It is the American way since the 1790's or so. (Look at WW1, WW2, Tea Pot Dome, 1929, 9/11 for examples) We ignore everything until its so bad half of our house is burning down and we must act.

What's worse is when we are proactive as a nation about something. Viet Nam... Iraq (OK, Iraq isn't entirely true that we are 'acting as a nation' but it is a proactive action... err I mean disaster.)

[Arianrhod]

24. Yes.

We only act when it affects us personally.

What a sorry lot we are.

[Gelliebeans]

7. Unflippingbelievable

these people are too much its that old slight of hand. Bait and switch.

[Mandate My Ass]

8. The arrogance of this is breathtaking

Let's legalize corruption and war profiteering and put it in the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act so no one will dare oppose it.

[AlCzervik]

9. Government secrecy-now even more secret

I think this same playbook was used in passing parts of the Patriot Act. If i remember right, they broke it up into several parts and then included some of those measures in other bills.

[carolinalady]

11. Excuse my sarcasm..but I really don't think this was the intended

outcome for the victim's families. Simply stunning. If the Dems let this go through they are totally spineless. This is exactly the type of thing that irritates me. Year 2008: The Republican candidate says, "Well (insert name here) you did not vote on the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act, how can you be trusted to protect this country?"

[Rose Siding]

12. Does anyone understand the supposed "benefit" offered by the repub?

snip>
In praising passage of the House version of the bill last month, Rep. Thomas M. Davis (R-Va.) said that streamlining the financial disclosure rules for top members of the intelligence community would improve the presidential appointments process and help attract candidates who might not otherwise apply.

"Financial disclosure requirements are supposed to protect against conflict-of-interest concerns. But they have become proxy statements for a nominee's net worth, with more detail than necessary," said Davis, chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.
..................

I don't understand how that rationalization mitigates the advantages of *knowing* about possible "conflict-of-interest concerns". I mean, it doesn't even look like they are trying to disguise this as a real positive change.

[w4rma]

13. Help attract candidates who might not otherwise apply. (which are exactly

the candidates this law was meant to keep away.)

Gotta love how they rephrase their BS in such a "don't concern yourself with this" manner.

[Arianrhod]

25. "Improve the presidential appointments process"

Read: Rubber stamp the criminal nominations.

[George_S]

14. Is there a consensus on writing our reps?

For example, would using a conservative site like this be a good idea or not?

http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm

Why not use their bandwidth? :) However, maybe they somehow filter them and don't let Dem opinions through.

A link that makes writing a click away would probably mean more would do it.

[Zorra]

15. Campaign To Starve The Beast:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2600099&mesg_id=2600099

DU Economic Activism Thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=255

[Politicub]

17. Oh my god

So naked and so evil. Calling my congressfolks now!

[Synnical]

18. Lawmakers fear intel reform dead

http://www.thehill.com/news/111704/intel.aspx

House and Senate conferees scrambled yesterday to save the intelligence-reform bill before the 108th Congress adjourns.

Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) met with Reps. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.) in the Capitol to resolve several differences in the hope of preventing the bill from dying of inaction despite a wave of public support in August and September.

<snip>

Richard Ben-Veniste, another commissioner, said, “If the president doesn’t put some leadership behind this, it will transition from lame duck to dead duck.”

<snip>

Roemer and Maloney said passage of the bill was “50-50,” but whispers on Capitol Hill, especially among House staffers, say it is dead.

Lieberman was more confident, saying, “I’m feeling encouraged because we have all taken a dose of realism.

[Rose Siding]

20. Bush, Aides Intervene to Secure Intel Reform Deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush and top aides are stepping up pressure on congressional negotiators to reach agreement this week on post-Sept. 11 reforms of U.S. spy agencies, officials said on Wednesday.

In a rare move, Bush personally intervened over the weekend by calling at least one key Republican negotiator, House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter of California, to press for a compromise, officials said.

Bush initially balked at some of the major intelligence reforms and some congressional aides have accused him of not doing enough to reign in fellow Republicans in the House who oppose the changes. The president has been under pressure from key lawmakers to break the deadlock.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6843419

[struggle4progress]

19. Secret government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. eom

[Don Claybrook]

21. Always good to see my namesake exposing hypocrites n/t

[VegasWolf]

22. you know, the good citizens of Rome said it was too powerful to

ever fall too. Just shows that human greed can destroy
ANY country.

[leesa]

23. America wants this.