Slain CIA Agent's Dad Calls Leak Treason

AP ^ | Oct 2, 2003

[Leroy S. Mort]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The father of slain CIA agent Johnny ``Mike'' Spann said Thursday he believes an independent counsel should investigate allegations that someone in the Bush administration exposed a CIA agent's identity, calling such an act ``treason.''

Spann, the first American killed in Afghanistan, died in a prison uprising. His father, also named Johnny Spann, said he is still angry because he feels his son's identity and hometown were revealed before his son's family could be adequately protected.

Democrats in Congress, led by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., are calling for a special counsel to be appointed to investigate who exposed a CIA operative who is married to former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson. Wilson had accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq.

``If someone in the Bush administration leaked this, they need to be punished, and they need to be made an example of, because that's not just a leak, that's treason,'' Spann, of Winfield, Ala., told The Associated Press. ``They should appoint an independent counsel so the American people can be sure, and let the chips fall where they may.''

[Leroy S. Mort]

Oh my. They're really playing all their cards on this one.

[goodnesswins]

OMG....the coordinated hit continues....

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[Cogadh na Sith]

The chick isn't an 'agent', she isn't an 'operative', she is a desk-bound analyst in Langley. BFD.

Has every single person in the world lost 50 IQ points over the past week?

[kevao]

The chick isn't an 'agent', she isn't an 'operative', she is a desk-bound analyst in Langley.

I haven't heard anything definitive on what her status is. But you would think it would be easy enough for the White House to determine her status by now and get that out. I sure hope someone in the White House knows what they're doing, because I don't see any effort at all to even try to manage all this.

[Sam Cree]

I don't watch TV, but do listen to the radio when I am driving. I heard a local Clear Channel station talking about this yesterday. The word "treason" was used about 5 times in just a couple minutes.

[Kleon]

Link please.

[colorado tanker]

Novak, who originally broke the story, said she's an analyst.

Bear in mind who originally broke cover on this operation - her husband, who decided to break his cover and go public in a New York Times op-ed piece when he didn't like what the administration did with his report. He placed his wife at risk of exposure because she was involved in the same operation and because of her relationship with him.

[colorado tanker]

Novak, who originally broke the story, said she's an analyst.

Bear in mind who originally broke cover on this operation - her husband, who decided to break his cover and go public in a New York Times op-ed piece when he didn't like what the administration did with his report. He placed his wife at risk of exposure because she was involved in the same operation and because of her relationship with him.

[colorado tanker]

Novak, who originally broke the story, said she's an analyst.

Bear in mind who originally broke cover on this operation - her husband, who decided to break his cover and go public in a New York Times op-ed piece when he didn't like what the administration did with his report. He placed his wife at risk of exposure because she was involved in the same operation and because of her relationship with him.

[over3Owithabrain]

There is a full-frontal attack by the Left going on right now. They are firing all their weapons from all directions.

Somehow it doesn't seem like anyone outside of FR is aware of this - particularly in the GOP/Bush WH...

[over3Owithabrain]

There is a full-frontal attack by the Left going on right now. They are firing all their weapons from all directions.

Somehow it doesn't seem like anyone outside of FR is aware of this - particularly in the GOP/Bush WH...

[JohnGalt]

These CIA boys play for keeps.

I have this picture in my head that they sit around sharing decaf coffees laughing at the rank amatuers in the White House aka the Cabal aka the neoconservatives.

[familyofman]

"But you would think it would be easy enough for the White House to determine her status by now and get that out."

That seems only too clear & logical. Analyst = no crime. Operative = crime. The CIA, FBI, DOJ & WH must all know the answer. If she is but an analyst, this should not have gotten this far.

Bob Novak is merely doing a bit of CYA, because he may have been used.

[kevao]

Thanks for your posts. All three of them. (By the way, you tend to repeat yourself a lot.) /joking

I have my doubts. If she was just an analyst, the law would not apply to her; therefore, no violation, no problem, the story goes away.

Certainly by now the White House has determined her status. The fact that they haven't issued a statement about her not being a covert operative, makes me wonder.

Bottom line: Novak shouldn't put the country through a scandal; he should reveal his source and make this thing go away pronto. He should be an American first, and a journalist second.

[Leroy S. Mort]

My take is that she was an agent who's been a desk jockey for the past five years or so (she has 4 yr old twins) and has retained her cover status so that she can return to the field later.

[colorado tanker]

Sorry about that. With this "internal server error" thing, I can't tell when a post goes through and when it doesn't.

To me a lot depends on her status with the agency. If she is someone whose identity should have been protected, the chips will just have to fall where they may. But I have doubts she's in that group.

[colorado tanker]

Sorry about that. With this "internal server error" thing, I can't tell when a post goes through and when it doesn't.

To me a lot depends on her status with the agency. If she is someone whose identity should have been protected, the chips will just have to fall where they may. But I have doubts she's in that group.

[AntiGuv]

Washington Times

A source who is informed about the spreading investigation into the leak said widespread reports are incorrect in reporting that Mrs. Wilson is an analyst whose identity would not be protected, and that the very fact the FBI received the CIA report indicates her role fit definitions of "undercover intelligence officer" and "covert agent" in the Protection Act.

[kevao]

All right then. Someone broke the law and should be prosecuted. And Novak should come right out and reveal his source(s), otherwise this "scandal" is all we'll be hearing about until November 2004.