Posted on 12/20/2005 6:33:10 AM PST by ironman
In his news conference yesterday, President Bush twice pointed to the same example to express his concern about the danger of newspaper leaks -- Osama bin Laden's phone.
The White House says the president was referring to a profile of the al Qaeda leader that appeared in the Washington Times on Aug. 21, 1998. In the 21st paragraph, the article stated: "He keeps in touch with the world via computers and satellite phones and has given occasional interviews to international news organizations."
The information in the article does not appear to be based on any government leak and made no reference to government surveillance of bin Laden's phone.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Someone in the government gave Binny that info. Do the math Mr Reporter.
Typical media ... unsubstantiated claims and counter-claims. We should have some sort of 'fine' system for this. If they can't 'site their sources' they should have to label their writings as 'opinion only' and anything but news.
If we deny history long enough then it never happened at all.
Could you please provide the name of the Senator and a reference?
do you have a link to your comment?? I'd love to mass e-mail it/fax it to the WaComPost....
It's WaPo. Did we really expect them to let the facts get in the way of a good Bush-bash story?
I heard Orin Hatch say it at a news conference. I'm not sure if he was the first.
You're right. This reference was made by several Dems, I think Durbin was the first, but maybe Rockefeller. It is a fact.
"In 1998, according to Fleischer, an "unauthorized disclosure" of information about Osama bin Laden's use of a satellite phone undermined U.S. intelligence gathering efforts.
"As soon as it was publicly revealed, we never heard from that source again," Fleischer said. "We never again heard from that satellite phone."
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/06/20/911.warning/
The Senator was reported to be Richard Shelby.
It was Senator Orrin Hatch.
I could be wrong but I swear it was Hatch. I may be having a faulty memory and I don't have any proof but there are some here who will know.
I knew I had personally heard him when it happened!
http://www.nationalreview.com/geraghty/geraghty200310010843.asp
The day of the 9/11 attacks, Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, told the Associated Press that intelligence agencies "have an intercept of some information that includes people associated with [Osama] bin Laden who acknowledged a couple of targets were hit."
He made similar comments to ABC News and said the information had come from officials at the CIA and FBI. White House officials were more than mildly displeased with the Hatch at the time.
"Well, that helps a lot! [Expletive]!" one administration official told the Chicago Tribune.
>>>that was different
And in what has to rank as one of the most damaging leaks of all time, press leaks tipped off Osama bin Laden to the NSA's interceptions of his satellite phone conversations. He then switched to more sophisticated phone systems, according to intelligence officials.
Who was the US Senator that leaked the information
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