Frist Disbands Senate Intel Committee Over Memogate

NewsMax ^ | 11/8/03 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has temporarily disbanded the Senate Intelligence Committee until committee Democrats reveal the identity of the author of a memo outlining a their plan to politicize intelligence data in a bid undermine President Bush's reelection.

"The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been harmed by a blatant partisan attack," the Tennessee Republican said in a floor speech yesterday, concluding that the memo had rendered the committee "incapable of meeting its responsibilities to the United States Senate and to the American people."

"Those responsible for this memo appear to be more focused on winning the White House than they are on winning the war against terror," Frist complained before adding, "There will be no more pulling along and no more useful collaboration on partisan schemes."

Committee Chairman Pat Roberts echoed Frist's decision to shut his committee down, saying, "Unless and until this reprehensible attack plan and strategy to derail the committee's important work is properly addressed, I am afraid that it will be impossible to return to business as usual in the committee."

A committee meeting scheduled for yesterday was canceled, and none has been scheduled for next week, a senior committee staff member told the Washington Post.

Frist also demanded that Democrats implicated in the Memogate scandal deliver "a personal apology" to Sen. Roberts.

Though retiring Georgia Democratic Sen. Zell Miller has called the memo, first leaked to radio host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, "perhaps treasonous," other Democrats circled the wagons on Friday.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid complained on the Senate floor that the memo had been "pilfered" by Republicans then leaked to the media, saying that act was just as offensive as anything revealed by the controversial document.

[Geezerette]

that cache of intell documents found in Iraq the other day? You know, the documents that supposedly name the actual names of people being bought off by SH...

Hi, Nita! Can you provide some more info on the above? I vaguely remember reading something like this after the war in Iraq was underway when our guys were sifting thru boxes and drawers of documents. Something new been found the last few days???

Thanks!!

g

[skinkinthegrass]

MHGinTN posted this-The Sunday talk soup should be comical, as the demonrats try to sell their 'it's a breach of confidentiality and security to share with the press a memo written by a committee member'. The level of whine and smirk will be astonishing to behold!

I guess we'll see to-morrow....Thanks! to MHG and alas :0)

[Geezerette]

Please disregard my other post ... I see the link!!

Thanks again!!

g

[skinkinthegrass]

Is Hell cold today or what.

YES???..It IS much COOOLDER in KY... :))

[skinkinthegrass]

If Rockerfeller or another Dem on the committee takes the fall and resigns, wonder who would be available to replace that fallen Dem?

...let's see...HCR...YIKES!!!! :/

[Ann Archy]

Frist Finally found the keys to the Cajones Closet!!! WAY TO GO PUBBIES!!

They make me proud today!!! HARDBALLLLLLLLLL

[diamond6]

Finally, a Republican with ba$%s.

[Geezerette]

Would you please 'splain to me what "AAAAH" stands for? I noticed it a lot on the Haley Barbour MS election night thread, and someone asked but I never saw it answered.

Thanks ... inquiring minds want to know!! ;-)

g

[Ann Archy]

What intel documents??? Haven't heard a dickie bird about any cache of intel documents.

[Ann Archy]

The BIG Dem spin will be that the military will be in Great Danger because there is no Senate Intel Committee to look out for them!! We will be misssing all importatnt intel because of this!! The media will repeat their charge as fact.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

...with ba$%s."" - (gonads, testes, testicles, testicular fortitude...).

[skinkinthegrass]

Well, you can count on Timmy 'democrat kneepads' Russert...their 'victimhood', you can count on that!

I'm afraid your correct..unless Timmy 'democrat kneepads' Russert has a fit, like he had on the '98 Chinagate Story...He'll take the 'RATs' position. :(

[Ann Archy]

That list of Dem Senators makes my skin crawl....Ron WYDEN is the DUMBEST man in the Senate...Barbara MUKALSKI...LAUGHABLE...Dick Durbin who despises this country....Jon EDWARDS...who know NOTHING abut intelligence. PITIFUL.

[Saundra Duffy]

Well, I'll be ding donged.

[DLfromthedesert]

They're discussing this on Cap Gang and Novak just called the Dems "Democraps", then corrected himself.

But he told Margaret Carlson off, but good!!

[ladyinred]

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid complained on the Senate floor that the memo had been "pilfered" by Republicans then leaked to the media, saying that act was just as offensive as anything revealed by the controversial document.

The gall of this man saying this! There is no shame whatsoever in this party anymore!

I don't buy the stated notion that a "staffer" wrote this either without direction from several higher ups, including Rocky and none other than Hillary Clinton as this has her stinky pantsuit all over it.

[ladyinred]

Forget the personal apology to Roberts, this isn't personal - it is TREASON against America.

Kinda what I was thinking too. Who needs a stupid insincere apology? This undermines our security and puts our troops at more risk, something the democrats seems prone to do these days.

[ladyinred]

S.C.U.M - Seditious Communist Unamerican Movement

You hit it dead on Chad! Best way to say it without a few well placed curse words in it!

[MattAMiller]

That certainly took some balls. But the end I really don't think we have anything to fear from an investigation into pre-war intelligence. But the Republicans sure are acting like there is. Perhaps they bought into the spin on Kay report.

It's certainly unseemly for the Dems to be explicity using their seats on the Intel commitee for partisan purposes. But the best way to counteract that is to demand a fair and complete investigation, no?

[Nita Nupress]

There's a link to an FR thread in #67.

As much as it pains me to do so, here's another link about it -- to the Washington Compost. But don't give them a hit unless you REALLY have to!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54942-2003Nov2.html
Seized Intelligence Files Spur U.S. Investigations

By Steve Coll
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 3, 2003; Page A15

BAGHDAD, Nov. 2 -- The CIA has seized an extensive cache of files from the former Iraqi Intelligence Service that is spurring U.S. investigations of weapons procurement networks and agents of influence who took money from the government of Saddam Hussein, according to U.S. officials familiar with the records.

(snip)

The officials declined to name individuals who they believe received funds or to name the home countries of the alleged recipients. One official said the recipients held high-ranking positions and worked both in Arab countries and in other regions. A second official said the payments were the subjects of "active investigations" by U.S. government agencies.

The recipients of the Iraqi funds were described by U.S. officials not as formal intelligence agents, but as prominent personalities and political figures who accepted money from Iraq as they defended Hussein publicly or pressed his causes.

(snip)