Posted on 10/20/2006 1:59:35 PM PDT by Republican Red
Has Rep. Jane Harmen, a member of the House Intelligence Committee been divulging information to the MSM?
Yesterday we learned that an unnamed democratic staffer had been suspended by House Intel Committee Chairman, Rep. Pete Hoekstra for possibly leaking a National Intelligence Estimate to the Ny Times.
Of course the first to complain was in fact Jane Harman, who just happens to have been the one who pushed for it’s release from John Negreponte, and is even now pushing for a second NIE.
The fact is that the staffer had been asked by someone, most likely Harmen to request the report. However, it’s highly unlikely that the staffer would just call up the Ny Times and give them the info.
Harmen has a long historywith the Times. In fact when you read most of the leaked stories over the last couple of years you don’t have to read too far without hearing a quote from her somewhere in the story.
Although she has tried to deflect on occasion, but we know that she has no problem giving up information to the MSM when a political partisan end is in sight.
I think that this may well turn into a major scandal, especially if this staffer was her mule and he decides to talk.
UPDATE: According to Fox News, the staffer is Lawrence Hanauer, who is a senior staffer, and is listed on the leftist Source Watch
More to come….
UPDATE II: Seems that Mr. Hanauer might have a reason to resent the Bush Administration:
“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]”
Traitors.
Thanks for the article!!
Hoekstra is on Fox News right now!
The Harmen press release is great! Why don't you add it to this longer running thread? They'll love it over there!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1722672/posts?q=1&&page=201
Goes right into Harmen's office.
Hoekstra is doing great. He has ZERO TOLERANCE for leaks of clasified information!
Treason
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Note: Crimes vary by jurisdiction.
Not all are listed here.
For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation).
"Traitor" redirects here. For other uses, see Traitor (disambiguation)
In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to one's nation or state. A person who betrays the nation of their citizenship and/or reneges on an oath of loyalty and in some way willfully cooperates with an enemy, is considered to be a traitor. Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as: "...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]." In many nations, it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aided or involved by such an endeavour.
Traitor may also mean a person who betrays (or is accused of betraying) their own political party, family, friends, ethnic group, religion, or other group to which they may belong. Often, such accusations are controversial and disputed, as the person may not identify with the group of which they are a member, or may otherwise disagree with the group leaders making the charge. See, for example, race traitor.
At times, the term "traitor" has been levelled as a political epithet, regardless of any verifiable treasonous action. In a civil war or insurrection, the winners may deem the losers to be traitors. Likewise the term "traitor" is used in heated political discussion – typically as a slur against political dissidents, or against officials in power who are perceived as failing to act in the best interest of their constituents. In certain cases, as with the German Dolchstoßlegende, the accusation of treason towards a large group of people can be a unifying political message.
Figures in history who are renowned for acts of treachery have subsequently had their names become synonymous with the word "traitor". Some examples are Judas, Benedict Arnold, Pétain and Quisling.
Hoekstra is saying that as Chairman, he is responsible to make sure that NO intelligence information is leaked from the House committees...
He said that there are too many red flags...and it is too important to the country to just ignore them.
He said he only suspended him from seeing classified information..he didn't fire him...but, they will conduct a thorough investigation and if/when he is cleared they will be reinstated..
But they HAVE to make sure that classified information is kept SECRET!
Jane can you give us a report?
Of course she has. Anyone that follows her knows she's a walking talking treasonous siv.
Her hubris and self-absobtion knows no bounds.
Hoekstra did a very good job in that interview. He's right in saying it's his responsibility as Chairman and he has a zero tolerance policy.
This staffer is just one thread . . . I hope soon we see the whole thing unravel.
Pretty scandalous stuff. She's little more than a shill for harmful politicking.
Harmon needs to resign immediately and take lalapelosi with her.
I was very impressed with Hoekstra...
Hoelstra should ask the Justice Dept to open an investigation and get these people under OATH!
Saw that. And he said there's a zero tolerance policy about this, but if that's true: remove until the investigation clears them. What does zero tolerance mean here?
I gave a thumbnail report on post #9...
Others have also added to it..
Basically Hoekstra is letting it be known that classified information is NOT to be leaked.
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