House Intel Chair Suspends Staff Member

AP ^ | By KATHERINE SHRADER

[Jewels1091]

WASHINGTON -- House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra has suspended a Democratic staff member because of concerns he may have leaked a high-level intelligence assessment to The New York Times last month.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press Thursday night, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., a committee member, said that an unidentified staffer requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before the Sept. 23 story about its conclusions

[right-wingin_It]

FRIDAY NEWS! hahaha

[pctech]

Kind of makes a person wonder if this will ever see the light of day in the MSM. If this is legit, then this is the timebomb that GOPers have been praying for.

[MonicaG]

"The reason there is not likely to be much in the way of prosecution is an old one..."

Thanks Piasa - your post makes sense. It is very disturbing and frusterating, but nonetheles good to know. Hopefully the elephant party doesn't get amnesia further down the road, when these useful idiots might be held accountable for their treasonous ways. Unfortunately, in the meantime, it seems like they get a free pass, which can only be encouraging to others who assess the risk of participating in this treason as very low. (Doh!)

[Route66]

...Anyway, as soon as the prosecution tries to charge them with anything their legal team starts requesting access to every classified document they can as part of their defense; they demand to question averyone who could even remotely be called a witness including - especially including- people who are "nocs," people the defense knows full well the government cannot allow to testify because that would be the end of their usefulness as covert agents...

We desperately need to fix this. The way things stand, the more important the secrets, the more likely someone can get away with passing them.

[longtermmemmory]

yet the MSM has this story burried.

[jackv]

You'd think the dims would want to get to the bottem of it rather than be "outraged".
They make me gag.

[TMSuchman]

If this is true, then the leaker should go to prison for a very long time. It is aginst federal law to leak classified information of any type. Only the orignator of the classified informattion may DE-classify it [ie the President...]

So my question is WHY is this staffer NOT in jail. Did the President Bush make a statement at the beginging of his adnimstration that any & all leakers were going to dealt with the same way, with beinging hit with the fullest extent & weight of the law?

[WOSG]

"House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra has suspended a Democratic staff member because of concerns he may have leaked a high-level intelligence assessment to The New York Times last month.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press Thursday night, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., a committee member, said that an unidentified staffer requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before the Sept. 23 story about its conclusions"

This seems a tad more serious than some IMs from 4 years ago... will this make it to be a 24/7 news story?

Oh, its a *Democrat* in trouble ... never mind!

[WOSG]

"The problem is the Bush administration doesn't have the balls to do so. "

Even when the Bush admin is on strong legal ground, like Patriot Act, they are accused of attacking constitutional liberties.
Obviously, a direct assault on the MSM would be treated as the end of press liberties ... the holws would be deafening.

Because it is a close call and because it poses two-fold risks of political backlash and constitutional limits and (imho valid) free press concerns,
a better way is to prosecute the leakers.
If they find some, throw the book at them... revealing a secret to NYT is little different from revealing it to Iran as a spy.

[Txsleuth]

I just heard Brian Wilson on Fox News report the guy's name is Larry Hanower(sp)...

He was in the CLINTON administration, but was "shown the door" when Bush came into office.

Rep. Ray Lahood was the one that called attention to Hoekstra about the timing of Hanower requesting the NIE report...and the news report in the NYTimes.

LaHood was interviewed and asked why it is just now being "brought out"...when he wrote the letter to Hoekstra 3 weeks ago??

LaHood SAID...that he decided to go public because Jane Harman had broken her word to Hoekstra and released information about the Duke Cunningham case, on her own, without Hoekstra..(they had AGREED to release it in a bi-partisan appearance, and SHE went out on her own, w/o notifying Hoekstra)...

Therefore, LaHood said, he was SO angry that she did that, he decided to go public.

When Jane Skinner said that seemed like underhanded pre-election politics...he said something like, "yes it is...but they have been doing it...and it they can do it I don't mind"...she then asked if it was "PAYBACK"..and LaHood, said YES!!!LOL

[Bahbah]

LOL. Thank you so much for that report.

[Mo1]

I just heard Brian Wilson on Fox News report the guy's name is Larry Hanower(sp)...

He was in the CLINTON administration, but was "shown the door" when Bush came into office.

Rep. Ray Lahood was the one that called attention to Hoekstra about the timing of Hanower requesting the NIE report...and the news report in the NYTimes.

---

Thanks for that info Txsleuth!!

[Freedom is eternally right]

Shortly after George W. Bush is inaugurated, “[k]ey personnel, long-time civilian professionals” at the Pentagon’s Near East South Asia (NESA) desk are moved or replaced with people from neoconservative think tanks. [American Conservative, 12/1/2003; Mother Jones, 1/2004 Sources: Karen Kwiatkowski] Joe McMillan, the Office Director, is moved to a new location outside of the Pentagon, which according to Karen Kwiatkowski, who works at the NESA desk, is odd because “the whole reason for the Office Director being a permanent civilian (occasionally military) professional is to help bring the new appointee up to speed, ensure office continuity, and act as a resource relating to regional histories and policies.” [American Conservative, 12/1/2003; Mother Jones, 1/2004; Salon, 3/10/2004 Sources: Karen Kwiatkowski] Larry Hanauer, who has long been at the Israel-Syria-Lebanon desk and who is known to be “even-handed with Israel,” is replaced by David Schenker of the Washington Institute. [American Conservative, 12/1/2003; Mother Jones, 1/2004 Sources: Karen Kwiatkowski] Other veteran NESA employees who are banished include James Russell, who has served as the country director for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and Marybeth McDevitt, the country director for Egypt. [Mother Jones, 1/2004]

He is married to a judge ( Judge Julie Rebecca Breslow)

[rintense]

Pete is from my hometown. Good on ya, Pete!

[Txsleuth]

Thank you so much...for that information.

[Txsleuth]

PING to post #193

[Miss Marple]

Thanks! I only caught the tail end of LaHood's interview and I wondered what was going on. Now I understand!

[BigSkyFreeper]

A slap on the wrist. He should be doing time right now along with the fatheads at the NYT.

[Bahbah]

Hmmm, so the Bush Administration DID get rid of some people in positions with the power to influence matters. I also think I know what "being even-handed" about Israel means.

[hipaatwo]

Thanks for the ping


Off topic..I got a flier today to vote against Santorum with a picture of Terri Schiavo and her mom kissing her. I blew, called Caseys office, they blamed Rendell, I called Rendells office they played ignorant. I had the woman on the phone on the verge of tears. Asked her how her parents would like it if in a similar situation her picture was used to try to gain votes. I could barely hear her when she said they wouldn't like it all.