Posted on 05/29/2002 2:52:14 AM PDT by kattracks
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence says leaks of sensitive information are damaging U.S. intelligence gathering efforts in the war against terrorism.
"I am very concerned about leaks because they do damage that makes Americans less safe," Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) told CNSNews.com. "That's a fact. We have testimony on it, and it's a very serious matter."
Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, says all members of Congress understand the importance of protecting classified information.
"We are well aware of obligation not to disclose any information that could reveal intelligence sources or methods of collection," Graham said. "We are still engaged in a global war with terrorist organizations, including the remnants of al Qaeda."
But that knowledge has not stopped leaks, including that of a Central Intelligence Agency "Presidential Daily Briefing" (CIA-PDB) memo to President Bush, that critics charge prove Bush had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The CIA-PDB discussed the possibility that terrorists might hijack overseas airliners with American passengers onboard. According to published reports, the relevant one-paragraph section of the two-page memo made no mention of using airliners as missiles, of potential targets, or of the Sept. 11 date.
Goss says any leak, no matter how seemingly innocent, can greatly damage the country's ability to defend itself from terrorists.
"I have testimony as recently as this week of lost capability to deal with the terrorist threat because of these leaks," he explained. "People are not telling us some things because they don't want to see their name [in the media]. They don't want to get burned."
That criticism does not, however, extend to government employees notifying members of Congress when their agency appears to have failed in its mission, Goss said.
He referred specifically to the 13-page letter written by FBI Agent Coleen Rowley alleging that certain crucial facts have been "omitted, downplayed, glossed over, and mischaracterized," by FBI Director Robert Mueller and senior aides, "in an effort to avoid or minimize personal and/or institutional embarrassment on the part of the FBI."
"The oversight committees deal with this all the time. We have special whistleblower protection in the oversight committees," Goss explained. "We are exactly positioned to encourage more of the same."
The FBI responded to receipt of the memo, according to published reports, by marking the letter "classified." Copies of the letter were also hand-delivered to Goss and Graham.
While Goss openly encouraged whistle blowing, he repeated his warning about leaks.
"We're not getting the kind of cooperation we should be getting from some quarters and it's because of these leaks, he said. "And if I find out who's in the leak trail ... I'm talking about somebody who willfully throws something over the transom that causes a problem ... I will turn it over to the authorities."
As CNSNews.com previously reported, hearings by the joint intelligence oversight committees will begin June 4. Rowley is expected to testify in closed session. Mueller and CIA Director George Tenet are likely witnesses, as well.
E-mail a news tip to Jeff Johnson.
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"...I am very concerned about leaks because they do damage that makes Americans less safe," Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) told CNSNews.com. "That's a fact. We have testimony on it, and it's a very serious matter..."********************
"...But that knowledge has not stopped leaks, including that of a Central Intelligence Agency "Presidential Daily Briefing" (CIA-PDB) memo to President Bush, that critics charge prove Bush had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks..."
"...letter written by FBI Agent Coleen Rowley alleging that certain crucial facts have been "omitted, downplayed, glossed over, and mischaracterized," by FBI Director Robert Mueller and senior aides, "in an effort to avoid or minimize personal and/or institutional embarrassment on the part of the FBI..."
Yes, it's serious.
So far, the President has been "embarrassed," and the FBI has been "embarrassed."
Who knows when the next government official will be "embarrassed."
Here's a way to avoid embarrassment.
Declare war. Stop playing around. Finish the job.
Then you won't be bothered by "kooks" like me,
pointing out the un-Constitutional actions of my government,
and decrying the multiple violations of my freedom.
Anyone who believes this, and knows anything at all about Cynthia McKinney, is smoking crack. I think she'd compromise classified information in a heartbeat, and I'm sure there are several others as well.
War isn't just an act, it is now a legal term.
Then there are her comments to the press.
I wouldn't trust McKinney at all.
Porter J. Goss, R - Florida, Chairman
REPUBLICANS
Doug Bereuter, Nebraska
Michael N. Castle, Delaware
Sherwood L. Boehlert, New York
Jim Gibbons, Nevada
Ray LaHood, Illinois
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, California
Peter Hoekstra, Michigan
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Terry Everett, Alabama
J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois, Ex Officio
DEMOCRATS
Nancy Pelosi, California, Ranking Democrat
Sanford D. Bishop, Georgia
Jane Harman, California
Gary A. Condit, California
Tim Roemer, Indiana
Silvestre Reyes, Texas
Leonard L. Boswell, Iowa
Collin C. Peterson, Minnesota
Bud Cramer, Alabama
Richard A. Gephardt, Missouri, Ex Officio
The only government of Afghanistan which the US has recognized is the government that had been in exile from Afghanistan... we did not consider nor recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. This is akin to the US recognition of the French government in exile and the Polish government in exile in WW2. We did NOT recognize the Vichy 'government' of France to be a true government, for example, and that is why we never declared war on France in World War 2. we did not declare war on Poland in WW2. We intended to liberate those countries by conquering their enemies, not conquer the people of France or Poland.
We liberated Afghans from their assorted foreign Arab occupiers and replaced them with a new government with the help of the exiled one and are working to bring about elections. There was no need to declare war on 'Afghanistan' since the Afghan government in exile was working with us and not against us and frankly, most Afghans don't have anything against the US and didn't like the Arab who had taken over any more than we do. We could not declare war on the 'Taliban' because that would have given legitimacy to the Taliban as the 'legitimate government' of Afghanistan and give it certain protections in international law as well as in our own agreed treaties, and deny the same protections to the government in exile. We would be obligated to treat the Taliban and al-Qeada as POWs, for example, which means that if we captured them, we would have to provide them with pay and accomodations and various other benefits as with POWs, and also we would have to release every one of them after the war, all of which would be a security risk to our personnel since these people, being terrorists rather than military personnel, do not and will not behave like an ordinary army with discipline and rules and cannot simply be let go after the war as if they will behave honorably and according to peace treaties and cease fire agreements. While most of them were just fighting what they saw as a civil war and ultimately could be released, there are some hard core folks who were fighting not a civil war but a deliberate war against civilains worldwide and had no impulses whatsoever to do so according to any rules of war. This group we cannot just let go like POWs.
I for one have no desire to give terrorists the same legitimacy as soldiers. It would be the most unwise thing we could do and would encourage terrorism at the state level, since there would no longer be an advantage to using legitimate military force when terrorism is so much simpler and deniable.
If we kill terrorists and force governments to choose between p!##ing off terrorists or p!##ing off the US, and the prospect of survival looks dimmer if they choose the latter rather than the former, then they will get the message whether we declare war or not.
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