Posted on 11/08/2005 11:19:01 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert are circulating a draft letter calling for a congressional leak investigation into the disclosure of secret U.S. interrogation centers abroad.
The Washington Post reported Nov. 2 on the existence of secret U.S. prisons in Eastern Europe for terrorism suspects. The Bush administration has neither confirmed nor denied that report.
"If accurate, such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences, and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our homeland from terrorist attacks," stated the draft.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the draft request to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and his House counterpart, Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan.
Hoekstra's spokesman, Jamal Ware, declined to comment because the office had not yet received the letter.
Frist and Hastert said the joint probe by the House and Senate intelligence committees should determine who leaked the information and under what authority.
"What is the actual and potential damage done to the national security of the United States and our partners in the global war on terror?" the draft letter asked. "We will consider other changes to this mandate based on your recommendations."
Frist's and Hastert's offices declined immediate comment.
The letter says the leaking of classified information by employees of the U.S. government appears to have increased in recent years, "establishing a dangerous trend that, if not addressed swiftly and firmly, likely will worsen."
"We are hopeful that you will be able to accomplish this task in a bipartisan manner given general agreement that intelligence matters should not be politicized," it added.
The Post story of a week ago said that the CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al-Qaida captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, as part of a covert prison system set up by the agency four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries. The eight, said the story, include several democracies in eastern Europe.
Excellent.
Leaders of the US Republican party Bill Frist(L), the Senate Majority leader, and House Speaker Dennis Hastert speak outside the White House in September 2005. Support for the Republican Party is waning as criticism of US President George W. Bush is on the rise, according to a recently published poll(AFP/File/Jim Watson)
Consider????
Judith Miller will be forwarding her "101 Reporter Tips on Surviving the Slammer" memo to the WAPO.
No one ever went bankrupt betting on the pubbies doing nothing. Could this be a first? Fighting back? Place your bets.
Thats what I say too. The Republican leaders would do well working in France's Congress.
Just Do It!!!
Consider? A well known term used by pubbies to indicate a very low probability. "Considering" is all the pubbies can do with a rubber back bone.
Where's the White House?
They were so quick to call for a leak investigation of themselves after being intimidated by the press, but a leak that may cause actual death and less National Security...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Seeing is believing. When the wussy GOP leadership gets hamered about this by the editorial pages, they'll surrender like the French.
If we lose in 2006 we have no one to blame but the GOP leadership because they refuse to fight fire with fire. We are the Stupid Party.
Good! This is something serious that NEED's to be investigated vs the wasted tax dollars on needless investigation of the "outing" of Wilson's wife who had been "outed" a long time ago....and, not by Libby.
I'm emailing Frist and Hastert....go for it.
'Bout time the Pubbies got some spine!
BUMP
why not just turn the investigation over to A.G. and the F.B.I. ?
Oh, I forgot...that would be too logical for the clowns in D.C. LOL
Steady there! Think what you're saying!
But if there are no prisons, how can there be a leak?
dana priest, call judith miller, find out about how nice jail can be. Get ready, the msm is about to go nuts, protecting its right to confidential sources. This should be fun.
But the good part is that it will allow a wholesale house cleaing in the CIA and we can flush the Plame clones out once and for all and fill it full of ex military guys that we can trust.
Plamegate wouldn't stick, and SHAZAM!!! there's a new leak ready made and perfectly timed.
You are correct, sir!
The editorial pages will say, "Frist and Hastert are potentially doing more harm by bringing even more attention to these detention centers. If they had just left well enough alone, this issue would have gone away on its own."
Of course, these editors know full well this story wasn't going away, as they are already using it as another stick to beat Bush with and to stoke anger amongst the moslems. They'll even fake concern for our "friends" in Poland and Romania.
A couple of Republicans will have their words twisted by Tim Russert, voila! end of any "investigation" of CIA leaks.
Not a Congresssional investigation, a Fitzgerald clone Special Prosecutor.
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