Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, on CNN “Erin Burnett OutFront” on recent, damaging leaks of classified information.
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Outrage over Obama administration leaks grows in Congress
LA Times
Sen. John McCain’s furor over leaks made by current and former members of President Obama’s administration has prompted more lawmakers to join the call for an investigation.
McCain, who took to the Senate floor alongside Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) Tuesday to raise allegations that classified details crucial to the composition of two New York Times exposes, which exposed the extent of U.S. involvement in cyberattacks against Iran and the White House’s secret “Kill List,” were divulged to journalists for political reasons.
The Arizona Republican said the issue “appears to be a broader administration effort to paint a portrait of President Obama as a strong leader on national security issues.”
The issue reemerged during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, during which Deputy Atty. Gen. James Cole was asked whether the Justice Department should prompt a special prosecutor to investigate whether federal laws had been broken.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was particularly pointed in this line of questioning, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) backed him in his inquiries.
“Do you believe that a special prosecutor, a special counsel, would be warranted?” Cornyn asked Cole, after receiving a confirmation from him that leaking classified information is “generally” a crime.”
“I don’t believe that it would be necessary in this case, no,” Cole responded.
In addition to the committee hearing, prominent members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees filed a joint statement condemning the leaks and calling for quick action in response. Chambliss, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) signed the release.
“In recent weeks, we have become increasingly concerned at the continued leaks regarding sensitive intelligence programs and activities, including specific details of sources and methods,” the statement reads. “The accelerating pace of such disclosures, the sensitivity of the matters in question, and the harm caused to our national security interests is alarming and unacceptable.”
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Gates to National Security Team on Osama Raid: ‘Shut the F— Up’
Weekly Standard
Robert Gates, the former defense secretary, reportedly blasted the national security team in the Obama White House for blabbing about the raid to kill Osama bin Laden. “Shut the f— up,” Gates told Tom Donilon, who is now Obama’s national security adviser, according to a book by New York Times reporter David Sanger.
By Wednesday of that week, Gates went to see Donilon, offering up a barbed assessment of how the White House had handled the aftermath of the raid. ‘I have a new strategic communications approach to recommend,’ Gates said in his trademark droll tones, according to an account later provided by his colleagues. What was that, Donilon asked? ‘Shut the fuck up,’ the defense secretary said.”
The interesting detail is in Sanger’s new book, Confront and Conceal, on page 107
Gates is no longer in the Obama administration, and has since voiced his displeasure over the bin Laden leaks. But this new detail signals a frustration above and beyond what has previously been expressed.
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Wild Thing’s comment…………
They better investigate and they also better not be weak like all the other stupid investigations that mostly have accompolished nothing.
This is what it says about Seal Team Six:
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), also known as DEVGRU for short, or more commonly by its former name, SEAL Team Six (ST6),[1][2] is one of the United States’ four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units (SMUs). The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and details of its activities are not commented on by either the White House or the Department of Defense.
Their operations are never talked about, until now. We now know that DEVGRU took out the Somali pirates and Osama. The world was told of their theater of operation during those times and of their capabilities. What they did in secret was now front page news. Everyone made a big deal over it and we all felt good but those men were compromised. I find it more than coincidental that shortly after Osama was taken out and the world now knew DEVGRU was operating out of Afghanistan, that a helicopter carrying members of this team was shot down, killing all aboard.
We don’t need to know what these men and those of the other three SMU’s are doing. They need to operate in the shadows and their achievements and accomplishments must remain known only to them. They didn’t become part of these teams for personal glory or someone’s political goals.
Fast and Furious. Intel leaks. Both of these should result in public hearings on a scale with the Watergate hearings. There were no deaths associated with Watergate. There were deaths as a result of F&F. The intel leaks may or may not have resulted in American deaths, but they certainly compromised American military units secrecy, methods of operation, methods of intel gathering and sources/assests of intel.
We watched the Clinton administration get a pass on their selling of secrets to China. I hope this administration is not allowed to slide on their criminal and treasonous activities.
Thank you so much Bob and Tom.
Thank you so much Bob and Tom.