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.

[quesera]

"I disagree with what Sen Frist is doing here! You have to work with the minority party, its the only way to get things done!"

Sen Trent Lott*

Beware Sen. Trent Lott. I'm sure he blames the White House after he lost his Leadership to Sen. Frist. He'd probably be happy to see the DemocRATS stick it to the WH.

[spokeshave]

Perhaps Frist / Hatch can disband the judicial committee

[johnb838]

There is no real need for an intelligence committee anyway. It's nothing but a leak factory. If the rats want to ignore it I hope it's never reinstated.

[Robert_Paulson2]

TREASON?

Works for me...

[Robert_Paulson2]

"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"

should I read that to mean the same democrat leadership that went to Iraq to visit before the war? who are still serving in congress? who are (ahem.. perhaps) on the Senate Intell committee? Or could it even be billary and hill Rottem?

[Cicero]

Hallelluiah! I had to read this several times to assure myself I wasn't reading The Onion. It's real!

I agree. Roberts really screwed up by letting it slide. Now Frist MUST stick by his guns. No going back on this one.

[Cicero]

You know, this is a very smart move. There's no way the Democrats can complain about Frist shutting down the Intelligence Committee unless they decide to publicize it in the media. And if they publicize it in the media, the American people will begin to learn for the first time what's going on. Most people, other than Fox News listeners, don't even know there's a scandal here, let alone that it's potentially treasonous.

[ClintonBeGone]

There is no real need for an intelligence committee anyway. It's nothing but a leak factory. If the rats want to ignore it I hope it's never reinstated.

Agreed. It's just a place to harass the administration as they try to do their job.

[Libertina]

Yes!

[pointsal]

Harry Reid..........who the heck puts up the $$$$$$$$$
to keep your big mouth yapping???

[hoosiermama]

Think, you are correct; he would not have to reveal his source. OTOH, I believe he said he would welcome being called to testify before investigator. :That we wouldn't believe who his source was....not who you'd expect etc.

Bayh stated that "rocke' was being put under a great deal of pressure to bo more partisan......Could be that by exposing the "elephant in the room", one is able to remove it.

I suspect, Bayh or Rocke' of giving it to Sean. And the ex-CLinton man on the democrat intelligent committee staff of writing it.

[hocndoc]

"" Yet we have an important role to play in revealing the misleading, if not flagrantly dishonest, methods and motives of senior administration officials who made the case for unilateral preemptive war.""

Odd (yeah, sure it's odd), this was exactly the tack taken on the Stephanopolous' show today: (paraphrasing) "the President should fire all his advisors who misled him before the war about the events *after* the war - and, we're still at war." The "fact" that we're still at war was repeated a lot.

[doxteve]

Ron WYDEN is the DUMBEST man in the Senate..

But the dumbest broad in the Senate is WA State's own Patty "Osama Momma" Murry!

The Pacific Northwest elects some of the most rotten democrats in the nation. I know the other states and regions have similar dopes from the same party, but we get those the furthest out in left field. And I'm damn tired of it.

[Grampa Dave]

It would be great to see those 3 congressits nailed as on the payroll of Saddam.

We know that $inator Hildebea$t took money from a Muslim charity that was up to its hip boots in terrorism. She supposedly returned the $50,000, and later we find out that supposedly the DNC returned it. She didn't.

The MP in the UK was just ousted from his party for receiving payment from $oddomite. Ramsey Clark and ANSWER would be good guess as to those who received money from Iraq/$oddomite.

Who knows how far this will fall.

[185JHP]

The list of malefactotums in your post reminds me of a Henny Youngman line: "It's good to see you! It means you're not behind my back!"

[nopardons]

Sean has said that he will NEVER reveal who gave him the memo. So, that " source " is going to be denied to us, as well as to the Senate, should they be stupid enough to supeana him. LOL

[mercy]

Now we shall see: Can a first rate treasonous scandal have legs given the Rat nature of the major media? I doubt it.

DomocRats are not people. They are pathogenic viral hominids.

[Recovering_Democrat]

DomocRats are not people. They are pathogenic viral hominids.

LOL! True...but say that about the leadership only, please. They've got a vested interest in not evolving--some of us have moved beyond the insistence upon a welfare state. Take me, for instance...I'm a
Recovering_Democrat.

[Snidely Whiplash]

Historical note: The Rosenbergs were convicted of espionage, not treason. Very different crimes, legally.

Snidely

[samtheman]

this is a very smart move. There's no way the Democrats can complain about Frist shutting down the Intelligence Committee unless they decide to publicize it in the media. And if they publicize it in the media, the American people will begin to learn for the first time what's going on. Most people, other than Fox News listeners, don't even know there's a scandal here, let alone that it's potentially treasonous.

I agree with you and I have to admit I am very surprised. I thought Frist was a total bureaucrat, without an sliver of backbone. I'm still wary of the guy. Let's see if he can stick to this and also let's see if he develops a real strategy to break the filibusters beyond a scheduled-30-hour protest meeting.