Larry Johnson's Group (VIPS) Called On CIA Employees To Leak Secrets To Hurt Bush

Associated Press ^ | March 17, 2003 | Unknown

[Sam Hill]

Ex-CIA Accuse Bush of Manipulating Iraq Evidence

Monday, March 17, 2003

WASHINGTON — Invoking

the name of a Pentagon whistle-blower, a small group of retired, anti-war CIA officers are accusing the Bush administration of manipulating evidence against Iraq in order to push war while burying evidence that could show Iraq's compliance with U.N demands for disarmament.

The 25-member group, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, composed mostly of former CIA analysts along with a few operational agents, is urging employees inside the intelligence agency to break the law and leak any information they have that could show the Bush administration is engineering the release of evidence to match its penchant for war.

VIPS member Ray McGovern, a 27-year CIA veteran who gave intelligence briefings to top Reagan officials before retiring in 1990, said the administration has not made the case that Iraq has ties to Al Qaeda and is providing information that does not meet an intelligence professional's standard of proof.

"It's been cooked to a recipe, and the recipe is high policy," McGovern said. "That's why a lot of my former colleagues are holding their noses these days."

But the CIA said McGovern doesn't have any authority to speak of the quality of intelligence policy-makers are reviewing.

"He left the agency over a decade ago," spokesman Mark Mansfield said. "He's hardly in a position to comment knowledgeably on that subject."

VIPS say their appeals to CIA staff are an attempt to evoke another Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study on U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Leaking classified national defense information is illegal, and CIA officers, who take a secrecy oath when they join could lose their security clearances or jobs, and may even face prosecution...

[bmwcyle]

Technology and policy changes every two years in that world.

[aculeus]

Bump for great find.

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

There is definitely a rogue element within the CIA, intent with bringing down the administration.

And in the State Dept. and the military itself (eg. Wesley Clark). Just being involved with the CIA is no guarantee of expertise, honesty or loyalty.

And this group of soi dissant 'Veteran Intelligence Professionals' against current US policy sounds about as sincere as 'Crackheads for Bush'. I suppose you could round up a few of those also. What next -- 'Quakers For A Stronger Military'???

[Smartaleck]

In an effort to cover Kerry's rear, did Media Matters inadvertently show that Johnson himself outted another agent?

Former intelligence official Larry C. Johnson referred to "a senior ***CIA analyst by the name of Fulton Armstrong"*** in a January 23, 2004, interview with Salon.com.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200504120007
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/01/23/johnson/index1.html

[Kenny Bunk]

...the White House's role in the leak of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.

The most likely suspect in the LEAK:

Ms. Valerie Plame,

This woman has a history of self- aggrandizement as does the prevaricating husband, Joe Wilson. She is the hub of a little sewing circle of left-wing clintonista babes, many of whom are on various MSM payrolls. They got on this "There are No WMDs" kick, and decided this was the way to help it fly. In fact, Joe Wilson also outed her as a CIA employee (although "covert" is too strong a term for her duties.) She was a paper-pusher, not a female 007.

Joe has told a series of darn big whoppers ... and no one ... and especially no one in the MSM... is calling him on them. Look for the pres to unleash Cheney on the case.

Check out Christopher Hitchens on www.slate.com He's made the most sense out of this ... and from the left.

[ravingnutter]

Hmmmm...funny that Kristof's name would surface in connection with this group...NOT!

The first public mention of Wilson's mission to Niger, albeit without identifying him by name, was in the New York Times on May 6, in a column by Nicholas D. Kristof. Kristof had been on a panel with Wilson four days earlier, when the former ambassador said State Department officials should know better than to say the United States had been duped by forged documents that allegedly had proved a deal for the uranium had been in the works between Iraq and Niger.

Wilson said he told Kristof about his trip to Niger on the condition that Kristof must keep his name out of the column. When the column appeared, it created little public stir, though it set a number of reporters on the trail of the anonymous former ambassador. Kristof confirmed that account.

The column mentioned the alleged role of the vice president's office for the first time. That was when Cheney aides became aware of Wilson's mission and they began asking questions about him within the government, according to an administration official.

Washington Post

Another suspicious character is Greg Thielmann, who incidentally was with INR, where the State Dept. memo came from. He is now touring with Wilson on the anti-war circuit:

Greg Thielmann served as Director of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research until his retirement in September. Mr. Thielmann has come forward recently to join Ambassador Wilson in denouncing the Bush administration's justifications for war in Iraq.

Source (Warning: Moonbat throwing dung alert)

And McGovern's name is mentioned there as well. Can we say...CIA coup?

[Purdue Pete]

Ping'n myself for later.

[JustDoItAlways]

Here is another Larry Johnson gem for those tracking this nut-job.

In an interview on December 6, 2001, he blames 9/11 on Clinton's lax response to the growing threat of terrorism. LOL. (I beginning to think this guy is really just an attention-seeker like Joe Wilson.)

http://www.angelfire.com/md2/Ldotvets/Bubba_69.html

[tobyhill]

I know I'm a day late on this finding but this is excellent.
"former CIA analysts along with a few operational agents"
This is very telling about there still being connections of "former" and current agents willing to break the law even though the code of silence extends years beyond service. I know that this whole so-called investigation rides not on who knew inside the CIA but who, from the CIA, leaked to the outside and to reporters. To even write this article indicates that people inside the CIA was talking to reporters about their intent.
Again, this is a goldmine of telling info.

[tobyhill]

"And in the State Dept. and the military itself (eg. Wesley Clark). Just being involved with the CIA is no guarantee of expertise, honesty or loyalty."

This is actually a very correct statement but it doesn't take too much expertise to know someones name and who they are married to.

[NathanBookman]

Ex-military intel guy take on CIA involvement (This is only one article from his blog. He has many.):
http://macsmind.blogspot.com/2005/07/plame-game-3.html

More info on background of some of the former CIA agents who signed recent letter complaining about leak:
http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2005/07/25/cia-partisans-some-profiles/

[Eva]

I've been hoping that since the request by the CIA for an investigation into the Plame leak came about the same time as the resignation of George Tenet, that politicization of the agency and the Plame case were related to the resignation. I'm really hoping that this investigation will help Goss clean house at the CIA. That could be a pretty powerful incentive for these former CIA agents to be speaking out against Bush.

[txrangerette]

Howlin, Mike, onyx, can you imagine the length of the list of "indictees" and the length of the list of "unindicted co-conspirators" IF Fitzgerald really does go after this conspiracy? It would almost be like a Cecil B. DeMille movie...a cast of thousands. (Well, I said "almost"...)

[mystery-ak]

How did he get your e-mail addy?

[Mad Mammoth]

I used to list that Hotmail account in my profile on FR, it might still be there - but it is certainly not my 'primary' email account. You'll note that Larry didn't even bother to use an 'alias' account, just his main ISP email, which for an intelligence "analyst" is pretty freakin' stupid if you ask me.

[ravingnutter]

I sure wouldn't be surprised to see the liver-spotted hand of George Soros behind these clowns.

Win Without War and its member organizations, including MoveOn.org, True Majority and Working Assets, together have gathered more than 600,000 petitions and messages urging censure. Many of the participating organizations have seen explosive growth since the rev-up to the war began. MoveOn.org alone has increased its membership from 400,000 to more than 2 million, largely on the strength of its opposition to the Bush war effort.

These experts are available to discuss the war and provide alternative voices for your programming to the Bush Administration happy talk about the Iraq fiasco:

{drumroll please...}

Larry Johnson - Larry C. Johnson is a former Deputy Director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, who has spoken out for censure of Bush. Earlier, he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and is an expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security and crisis and risk management. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international firm that helps multinational corporations and financial institutions identify strategic opportunities, manage risks, and counter threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. He is a Republican who supported and raised funds for George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign.

Common Dreams

[mystery-ak]

LOL...yes, I noticed that.....it's funny that he's lurking here, I hope Fitzgerald or one of his staff is to.

[finnman69]

What a bunch of LW nuts and bufoons. Im most frightened by the fact that these kooks were actually in the CIA.

Larry johnson is on record from July 2001 that the threat of terrorism is diminishing while."The Declining Terrorist Threat" July 10, 2001
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/520764/posts


Ray McGovern recently vented a "blame the jooooos" conspiracy at the faux John conyers Downing Street Memo show trial.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601570.html.

[Kryptonite]

Wow. That guy is either in desperate need of counseling, or deserves to be locked up.

You should send those to the White House, so the Secret Service people can take a look.