ABC News Update on Hastert Story (ABC says believe US not the Justice Dept.)

ABC ^ | Brian Ross

[hipaatwo]

Brian Ross Reports:

Richard Esposito and Rhonda Schwartz contributed to this report.

Despite a flat denial from the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement sources tonight said ABC News accurately reported that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is "in the mix" in the FBI investigation of corruption in Congress.

Speaker Hastert said tonight the story was "absolutely untrue" and has demanded ABC News retract its story.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has provided information to the FBI about Hastert and a number of other members of Congress that have broadened the scope of the investigation. Sources would not divulge details of the Abramoff’s information.

"You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it very carefully," a senior official said.

One focus involves a letter Hastert wrote in 2003 urging the Secretary of the Interior to block an Indian casino that would have competed with tribes represented by Abramoff.

[LdSentinal]

"Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert, are under investigation," one federal official said tonight."

So, according to ABC, all 535 members of Congress are under investigation and not just Hastert?

Long adrift, ABC News now sinks

[jrooney]

I am now sensing that this was a setup by the feds to see whom is leaking from the DOJ to Brian Ross.

There are currently numerous invesitgations going on with the CIA and NSA and I think we can incude the DOJ.

Ross himself is under investigation for being the receipient of clasified information via leaks and publishing that classified information. He has his hand in the cookie jar and the feds appear to be zeroing in on him.

I think this was a sting and it worked. What better way to use Hastert in the sting because he has been out there complaining about the Jefferson search. Maybe Hastert was asked if the feds could use his name and he agreed.

I feel more confident about this than the ABC report by Brian Ross being right.

[RoseofTexas]

That's what Hastert gets for sticking his nose where it didn't belong! Jefferson got caught red handed and Hastert blamed the CIA...IDIOT! The pubs are truly screwed up at the Cap!!

[ground_fog]

The news media is going to make sure every Republican conservative shows up at the polls in November if the keep this crap up (no matter how pissed conservatives are )

Thank Goodness for them-they can't get out of their own way!

[hipaatwo]

My favorite part:

The investigation of Hastert’s relationship with Abramoff is in the early stages, according to these officials, and could eventually conclude that Abramoff’s information was unfounded.


So this means what?? Why even bring it up? There may be no there there! Aholes!

[RoseofTexas]

"Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert, are under investigation," one federal official said tonight.""

They need NOT go any further...the leaker is Rockefeller, he is guilt as sin..IMHO!

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Doesn't it make ya proud to be on their station??? Have you ever listened to those pathetic news updates they have during the commerical? Puke inducing! I guess it's not PC for you guys to talk about them, but man it would be good for a laugh once in a while to do a bit where you make fun of them. Might not go over too big with the bosses, but it would make for some great radio.

Thanks for all you do! :)

[dead]

ABC draws the line in the sand.

Not really. Their use of the term "in the mix" is deliberately vague and means absolutely nothing.

[tobyhill]

Revoke their press credentials.

[jazusamo]

Thanks for the link.

[Paraclete]

The knives are out for Hastert. Immigration reform?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Thank you for that information. I appreciate it. I hope you're right.

[Txsleuth]

PING

[GOPJ]

wait on this until I hear something from a more reliable and credible news source. ABC is just a tentacle of the DNC.

goooooood point

[Gordongekko909]

ABC: Even our weather reports come from anonymous sources!

[jrooney]

(I posted this on another thread but is becoming more important with each ABC update)

http://macsmind.blogspot.com/2006_05_14_macsmind_archive.html

NSA - ABC Blog - Brian is Worried

Have you wondered why the ABC News Blog is paranoid?

Today's post:

"The Department of Justice says it secretly sought phone records and other documents of 3,501 people last year under a provision of the Patriot Act that does not require judicial oversight.

The records were obtained with the use of what are known as National Security Letters, which can be signed by an FBI agent and are only for use in terrorism cases.

The letters require telephone companies to keep secret even the existence of the request for records.

Assistant Attorney General William Moschella told Congress last month that 9,254 National Security Letters were issued in 2005 involving 3,501 people.

Federal law enforcement sources say the National Security Letters are being used to obtain phone records of reporters at ABC News and elsewhere in an attempt to learn confidential sources who may have provided classified information in violation of the law.

The FBI says its request for reporters' phone records are made in compliance with the law."

Who is Brian Ross? He's the ABC News reporter that wrote back in January that Goss's pursuit of leakers was a "Witch Hunt".

In a part of that article he reports, "Goss told the Intelligence Committee that "on the external side, I've called in the FBI, the Department of Justice. It is my aim, and it is my hope, that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present being asked to reveal who is leaking this information."

Now since Ross seems to have a source or two as he reported last Friday, that the Govenment was monitoring his and a colleague's cell phone

"A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross and Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources.

"It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation."

Ross may have a good reason to be paranoid. Sources have told me that he has been idenified in at least one investigation as a 'subject" of serveral unauthorized leaks of classified information. See here, and here.

Perhaps that "Senior official" was his source giving him a friendly "heads up?" before the hammer falls.

More to the point, these latest 'scoops' are deflections to throw off the dogs, yet notice that no one other MSM news outlet is coming to his aid, and no wonder - the press is running scared now - real scared.

Additionally, just for reference, Ross is a hack who consistently writes hit pieces on conservatives, which were later found to be unsubstantiated.

Back in Dec, 2005, Don Singleton called for this reference to Ross and Esposito's article on "Secret CIA prisons":

"A grand jury needs to be conviened, and Brian Ross and Richard Esposito need to be called to identify the current and former CIA officers who betrayed their country by revealing this information, and if they will not identify them, Brian Ross and Richard Esposito need to be jailed until they agree to reveal their sources. If they can do it to compel journalists to reveal who told them what as a part of a CIA Coup attempt against the Bush Administration, surely it can be done to ferret out traitors who reveal where top al Qaeda suspects are being held."

For whom the bell tolls...eh Brian and Richard?

[hipaatwo]

Mac's blog is great.

[jrooney]

yes it is.

[reformedliberal]

I think you are dead on. The same sort of thing went down with the story about the telecoms giving the Feds call lists.

One other effect of all this: even the rabid DUmmies are going to have to start being totally cynical about the MSM.

I don't want to hear again that the administration is poor at PR. They are subtle. They know who the filter is and how it works. Now they are establishing (if the theory is correct) who is leaking to whom, while publicly assisting the liars in their own destruction.

At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I really hope this is what is happening.

[jrooney]

Thanks. It is also how they caught Mary McCarthy at the CIA. Plant a story that sounds juicy and can hurt Bush or a prominent conservative. The rogues in the particular agency it was planted at, pick it up and feed it to a reporter(s). The reporter than writes about it.

Easy pickings.