Posted on 03/07/2006 5:16:02 AM PST by FerdieMurphy
The United States government and its intelligence community are adopting a series of initiatives to discourage government employees from leaking classified information to journalists, The Washington Post reported in its Sunday edition.
The efforts include several FBI probes, a polygraph investigation inside the CIA and a warning from the Justice Department that reporters could be prosecuted under espionage laws, the Post said.
During the Bush Administration, a nexus of politicians, government workers and members of the news media have worked overtime in leaking classified information. From the secret terrorist prisons to the National Security Agency's super-secret surveillance program, intelligence officials and the Bush Administration have had to watch their counterterrorism efforts neutralized for political reasons.
Special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently interviewed dozens of employees at the CIA, the NSA and other intelligence agencies as part of an intense and wide-reaching investigation. Many employees who possess security clearances at the CIA, FBI, the Justice Department and other agencies received letters from the Justice Department forbidding them from discussing even unclassified intelligence programs.
But people such as former deputy-undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin don't think the Justice Department investigators and prosecutors have the guts to indict a US senator. Babbin said it would cause a battle royal on the Hill, if not a constitutional crisis.
He did say however, that any senator or Congressional staffer that holds a security clearance can be asked at any time to take a polygraph. The individual can of course refuse to take the test, but failure to do so is reason to remove that person's security clearance. Babbin further said that Senators Rockefeller, Durbin, and Wyden, and some on their staffs will soon be requested to take polygraphs.
Even FBI field offices are involved in the leaks investigation. For example, special agents from Los Angeles have already contacted Sacramento Bee reporters about their coverage of a terrorism case that was based on classified court documents. In that case, some suspect that court personnel might have leaked the documents to reporters with whom they may have congenial relations.
At CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, their internal security office has been conducting numerous interviews and performing many polygraph examinations of government employees in an effort to discover whether any of them have had unauthorized contacts with reporters, the Post said.
Some media watchers, lawyers and editors told the Post the incidents perhaps represent the most extensive anti-leak campaign in a generation and that they have worsened the already tense relations between mainstream news organizations and the White House.
But it's not only the Bush Administration that is frustrated with all the leaks and news stories. Recently Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) said straight out that the New York Times, which ran a frontpage story on the top secret NSA spy program, should be prosecuted for their actions.
Some news stories have pointed fingers at Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as a possible leaker. Others cited sources that pointed to senate staffers. Still others believe that liberal politicians in both parties are secretly leaking information to the news media for political reasons.
The debate over how much classified information the White House should share with lawmakers flared up when Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) defended himself against charges he leaked sensitive information.
Durbin actually took to the Senate floor to deny accusations that he disclosed classified information on Iraq after CIA Director George Tenet briefed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2003, which led many observers to say, "He doth protesteth too much."
But don't expect too much to come from these leak investigations. When the leakers are Democrats, they are called whistleblowers; when they're Republicans they're called leakers. Also, no senator has been disciplined for leaking since 1987, when Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was forced to give up his seat on the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee. It was discovered he leaked classified information to reporters. Now he's on the Senate Judiciary Committee which is currently investigating top secret information regarding the NSA surveillance activities.
You left out so many non-RINOs.
At any rate, just the thought of little Dickie Durbin and Jay Jay submitting to a lie detector makes me laugh. The toughest part will be to establish a baseline. Reminds me of the old joke...
Q: "How can you tell when a liberal is lying?"
A: "The lips are moving."
Senators are not above the law
Leaking Classified National Security information and documents is a Federal Crime
I dunno, I'm betting they pass with 110% accuracy. Neither one knows the truth to be lying from it.
Durbin and Rockefeller to take lie detector tests?
I'll believe THAT when I see it.
Remember the Dem messages that were left on the computer and the REP staffer found them. They were the game plan for Jay Jay to use intel to embarrass the administration during the election cycle. They got caught and couldn't use it in 04, but now they think they can count on our lack of memory to release it for mid term gains. It won't happen, but they should be prosecuted for betraying the country for political gain.
It's about damn time. Too little too late...and the Republicans are just as much to blame for stalling on this, unless I'm missing something in the procedure.
"Durbin is so pathological..."
You're probably right. My point was that I doubt either would submit to a lie detector test.
Bump
Are there other people who were on the committee that would have had knowledge of the NSA program, but no longer hold a position now? Like Senator Bill Nelson from Florida? He was interviewed on Fox News yesterday and I believe he was introduced as having served on the intelligence committee. If so, and there are others like him, they should be interviewed and given a lie detector test too.
No one can really fail a polygraph test, because the results rely on interpretation.
I missed it .. the Senate is in session now on Cspan2
What did they say and who was there?
I hope Republican Congressmen enjoy the impeachment and being in the minority next year. Because they will have no one but themselves to blame. They don't support the administration or defend themselves or the president against the lies by the left.
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