Posted on 07/23/2017 9:58:25 PM PDT by ForYourChildren
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At a security conference this week, the director of the C.I.A., Mike Pompeo, criticized The New York Times for a recent article about an officer who was tapped to run the agencys Iran operations, a newsworthy promotion because it was an indication of the hard line against Iran that President Trump promised during his campaign.
Mr. Pompeo said that the publication of the officials name, Michael DAndrea, was unconscionable and put his covert status in jeopardy.
Mr. Pompeos comments led to a wider discussion about the publication of Mr. DAndreas name, and some readers wrote to us to express their disappointment with our decision.
Before the article was published, one of the reporters who worked on it informed the C.I.A. that it would include Mr. DAndreas name a routine check for comment that Times reporters make for the sake of fairness. The C.I.A. asked The Times not to publish his name, arguing that Mr. DAndrea was under cover.
Times editors and reporters covering national security frequently discuss these sorts of issues and take into account the governments arguments against publication. We take care not to put national security or lives in danger, and we take that concern very seriously.
In this case, editors decided to publish the name because Mr. DAndrea is a senior official who runs operations from the agencys headquarters outside Washington, not in the field. He is also the architect of the C.I.A.s program to use drones to kill high-ranking militants, one of the governments most significant paramilitary programs. We believe that the American public has a right to know who is making life-or-death decisions in its name.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
what idiots... there is a reason this info is held close...he might of not been a field agent but he interacts with field agents and just watching him could reveal info about who are field agents are.
The Russian spies at the New York Times-—
I trust the Russians more. I really do.
The Times justifies publishing the guy’s name by citing another time they published his name being leaked, then they go to another Times media entity, not their general counsel, who cites the first leak as precedent.
The media hides behind the first ammendment for justification for anything they believe is right. They believe that it gives them unmitigated power to publish whatever they please regardless of ethical obligations or legal jeopardy. It probably helps that few if any of them ever handled classified information in the way it was intended as a member of the military, law enforcement, or the Intelligence Community.
Were I in the Trump administration, I’d try to fix this in a nice easy fashion. Give the senior editorial staffs of the major media outlets read on briefings for handling classified information. Compel them if necessary. Let them know that as appropriately briefed clearance holders, they all now have a lifetime obligation to properly handle classified information, and to report the improper handling of classified information, and there are stiff penalties for failing to uphold these obligations. If a situation comes up when they have a question, they can stop by a secured facility at the local FBI office and talk to the officials as needed to settle any differences. If they still decide to publish a leak, prosecute them. Then let the courts decide how immune they are when they publish a leak.
Well, thank you for being dicks.
What you did was immoral, unethical and unAmerican.
Your apology demonstrates a total lack of conscience and arrogant conceit.
You did it to demonstrate your collusion with Russia ...
Let’s see. Wasn’t there a big kerfluffle about non-covert Valerie Plame being outed by...who? Oh, yeah. A REPUBLICAN!!!
TWANLOC
Scooter Libby got a 30-month prison sentence for this. And he was innocent.
Who gave the slimes the decision over covert operators life and death?
I hate these scumbags with every bone in my body!
I’ve been a pragmatic holdout in defense of the agencies, but NYT seems comfortably irreverent breaching national security.
Put Fitzgerald on it. He’ll indict Sara Palin.
Shut them down, arrest the decision-makers and hold them as obvious flight risks, and throw the book at them. Ninety-nine years for each count should be about right.
Publishing the name of an active undercover agent/operative is against the law, i.e. the Intelligence Agents Identity Act of about 1981 (or 83) (the title of the bill might have been changed when it was pasted but I don’t have that information in front of me).
This bill protected these people esp. since communist traitor Phillip Agee, his buddy Mark Hosenball (in England, from whence both were expelled as security risks) (now with Newsweek, I believe), and the Organizing Committee for the Fifth Estate, later revived as the Covert Action Information Bulletin, dedicated their research and use of communist bloc sources to “name” CIA agents ( many of whom were not agents) in order to expose and cripple our overseas intelligence operations.
The key opponent of a tough punishment bill for exposing an American intelligence agent was Sen. TED KENNEDY (D-MASS), who at that time was apparently making covert connections with the Soviets to stop any US defense build-up to challenge the long, ongoing Soviet build up of Anti-aircraft systems, ICBMs, mobile ICBMs in Siberia, new attack subs, and other new types of missiles and planes.
If ever there was a cause for a special counsel/commission to look into treason, Kennedy’s actions would be the prime example to start with.
They know they are putting a target on the man’s back. That is why they did it.
Don’t strain your shoulder NYT by so strenuously patting yourself on the back.
I still do not understand why these “big shots” are all over wikileaks but when NYT pumps it, crickets...
I don’t have to go back and lookup their position on the supposed outing of Velerie Plame, I can smell the hypocrisy from here....I hope I’m alive the day they have to declare bankruptcy.
They just put a HUGE TARGET on D'Andrea, and when he gets assassinated they will feel so glad!!
Yet the Slimes devoted weeks of above-the-fold placement of stories about the caustic evil of the “outing” of the non-covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.
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