Let the Democrats keep punching this tar baby.
Posted on 06/06/2009 9:13:00 AM PDT by jazusamo
The top Republican on an intelligence subcommittee fired back at Democrats on Friday night after they accused GOP lawmakers of revealing sensitive information following a closed hearing earlier this week.
Rep. Jeff Miller (Fla.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, maintained that his members acted appropriately after the hearing. He countered Democratic claims that Republicans sought to close the hearing to the public, and even cautioned Democrats accusing Republicans of violating committee rules that they may have violated those rules themselves.
After Republican subcommittee member John Kline (R-Minn.) told The Hill that he came away from the hearing with the impression that controversial interrogation methods have worked to disrupt terrorist plots – and the top Intelligence Republican concurred with that assessment – Democrats blasted the GOP for sharing information that they received in a classified setting.
According to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), the subcommittee chairwoman who ran Thursday’s hearing, those Republicans were at the very least in violation of committee rules forbidding the discussion of information revealed during a closed session. Schakowsky said on MSNBC’s The Ed Show on Friday that Democrats may sanction Republicans, claiming there needs to be “accountability.”
Miller defended those members who spoke to The Hill Thursday evening and who shared their assessment of the hearing, in which about a dozen Democrats and Republicans received a classified briefing, presumably from national security officials, about interrogations of suspected terrorists.
“Mr. Kline has in no way released any classified information in regard to the hearing,” Miller said.
Asked specifically if Kline was also free of the charge that he violated the separate committee rule prohibiting the disclosure of any aspect of a closed-door, or executive, session, Miller did not directly answer.
“Again, my comment is he has absolutely not revealed any classified information,” Miller said.
But Miller also issued a warning to Democrats charging that Republicans violated committee rules.
“The chairwoman clearly can move in any direction she wishes,” Miller said. “However, to try and sanction somebody for discussing anything that happened behind closed doors will probably ensnare the chairwoman, as well, so she needs to be extremely careful.”
Asked for specifics, Miller said: “She needs to look at her statements to the media and what she has discussed in regard to the hearing.”
Miller also took issue with a statement made by an Intelligence Committee spokeswoman, Courtney Littig, that the meeting was closed at the request of the minority members.
Littig told The Hill earlier Friday: “In express disregard of our committee rules, there are members who revealed information learned in a committee executive session. If the minority wanted to have open hearings, they didn’t have to make the motion to go closed. It was their prerogative to move to close the session.”
Miller, who said he requested the hearing be closed only after being asked to do so by Schakowsky, called Littig’s assessment “absurd.”
“It appears as though the majority is trying to take the tact that the meeting was closed at the behest of the Republicans when in fact I made the motion to close the hearing at the request of the chairwoman,” Miller said.
“And I will, upon return to Washington on Monday, I will request that the exact same hearing take place in an open forum,” he added.
Democrats did not respond to any of Miller’s comments.
Dems mulling sanctions against GOP Intel members
House GOP dares Dems to prove intel allegations
Intel firestorm: GOP reveals briefing info
Democrats are lying conniving cheats. The democrat party is a criminal enterprise and has no regard for truth just their own empowerment. If anyone doubts that, look at the democrat party history of suing the slaughter of millions of alive unborn as a democrat party empowerment scheme with constituencies.
Amen to all that. I could have written your post.
Big BUMP!
Let the Democrats keep punching this tar baby.
Well said, exactly what they should do.
The Dems stepped in it when they initially complained and instead of quietly backing off escalated it.
Finally, a PUB mans up!
A step in the right direction, no follow through. Make their lives a living hell!
Surreal. IOW, the Dems say waterboarding doesn't work and did no good, a Republican answers by saying 'wait a minute, the experts testified it did' and the Dems accuse them of violating confidentiality.
I guess if you lie about what is said at these things it's not any kind of violation in Dem-world.
That’s about it as far as the Dems are concerned.
This is really pathetic. Intel in Congress used to be one of the things that was not a partisan thing, now the Dems just lie to us about it.
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