White House Faces Mounting Chatter Over Intelligence Leaks
The White House has already signaled it wouldn’t accept such a move lightly, and has strategic reasons not to do so. If the administration begins with its own probe, it can successfully draw out any investigation by several months — and potentially clear November — by saying it will review its own investigation, then turn over internal results to the intelligence committees for review, at which time lawmakers can decide if they feel it’s necessary to move forward with an independent investigation.
“I don’t believe that Attorney General [Eric] Holder or his deputy are going to be able to do a truly independent investigation,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “I don’t think we can just let the White House investigate itself or take its word for it that it’s not the source of these leaks.”
On Thursday, Carney panned the idea of an independent counsel to probe the leaks. “Again, this is something that the president insists that his administration take all appropriate and necessary steps to prevent leaks of classified information or sensitive information that could risk our counterterrorism operations,” he said.
Seemingly sensing the pressure, the Justice Department announced late Friday that U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald C. Machen Jr. and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein had been appointed by Holder to investigate “recent instances of possible unauthorized disclosures of classified information.”
They will be directing separate investigations currently being conducted by the FBI, Holder said.
“In carrying out their assignments, U.S. Attorneys Machen and Rosenstein are fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigations and matters related to those violations, consult with members of the Intelligence Community and follow all appropriate investigative leads within the executive and legislative branches of government,” Holder said in a statement.
It remains to be seen whether this will satisfy lawmakers who want to ensure that any departments potentially tainted by the scandal steer clear of the investigation, and those who feel that a special probe could waste valuable time.
“I hope the Justice Department will bring the full force of the law against these criminals,” House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said in a guarded statement after Holder’s announcement. “We need to send a clear message to anyone who considers leaking sensitive information and putting Americans at risk: if you leak classified information, you will face jail time.”
Feinstein said her issue with a special investigator is that it “can take years.”
“We don’t have years. We need to legislate,” she said. “We need to get some solutions before us very quickly. …Wherever the chips fall, they fall, but we want a fair investigation.”
Ruppersberger said outright, pre-investigation, that he doesn’t believe that this was politically motivated. “The issue is about whether or not this was used politically,” he said.
“We got the information. We looked at the leaks. That’s what we’re going to look at now and investigate,” the Maryland Democrat said. “We have to make a determination. There are a lot of reasons why things occur, but you can’t make predeterminations when you’re evaluating and looking into changing the process and also how do these leaks occur.”
McCain, however, was quickly drafting a measure calling for a special council to probe the leaks.
“There are some of us who will be seeking a resolution, sense of the Senate, calling for the appointment of a special counsel,” McCain told Sean Hannity last night. “I hope maybe as early as Monday.”
“I continue to call on the president to immediately appoint a special counsel to fully investigate, and where necessary, prosecute these gravely serious breaches of our national security,” the senator said after Obama’s press conference today.
Rogers said the fact that the CIA won’t provide details of the leaks to Congress, citing the ongoing investigation by the FBI, is proof alone that an independent probe is needed.
“What we are doing in a bipartisan way is we need to follow the leads of the investigation to the leaker and make sure that leaker goes to jail. Much like what happened with the Valerie Plame case,” Rogers said this morning on CNN. “Someone went to jail over that. This is 100 times the magnitude of that.”
UPDATE: “The investigation must be complete, fair and balanced,” Rogers said in response to Holder’s move. “These US attorneys will need to have the ability to follow the investigation wherever it may lead. I look forward to hearing how they will be independent from the chain of command.”
Obama is a deceiver, a dissembler
His trousers are alight
From what pole or banner
Shall they dangle in the night?
“Much like what happened with the Valerie Plame case”
There’s a woman who leads a life of leisure
To everyone she meets she says hey stranger
With every move she makes, another photo he takes
Odds are they won’t preen again until tomorrow
Secret Agent Girl. Secret Agent Girl
They’ve given you a husband and taken away his brain
Beware of prissy faces that you find
A prissy face may hide an evil mind
Ooh be careful who you choose, or he’ll give you away
Odds are they won’t preen again until tomorrow
Secret Agent Girl. Secret Agent Girl
They’ve given you a husband and taken way his brain
Perjury in court on the stand suing one day
Liein’ in a Washington Post story the next day
Oh don’t let the wrong words slip, while chasing persuasive tips
Odds are they won’t lie again ’till tomorrow
Secret Agent Girl. Secret Agent Girl
They’ve given you a husband and taken way his brain
What?
I find myself on the same side of an argument with Diane Feinstein?
Wow.
The information that is being leaked for partisan political advantage by operatives of Barack Obama is going to get someone or someones killed.
The information that is being leaked for partisan political advantage by operatives of Barack Obama is going to severely compromise our national security.
The information that is being leaked for partisan political advantage by operatives of Barack Obama is being done with full malice aforethought, with full knowledge of the harm it will bring to our nation.
This rotten SOB should not only be voted out of office, he should be tried and convicted of treason against the United States.
I just hope to God that there are sufficient resources in place to thwart any attack that may be in the offing as a result of the intelligence that has been compromised.
This is deadly serious stuff and Barry seems to think its a game.
When a leftoid loses Feinstein, that leftoid has some serious problems.
If the Obamites have lost Feinstein, maybe this thing really is over.
There is, in any relationship, a predefined limit to the amount of derision that one will abide due to their support of an obvious fool.
Drip, drip, drip. Romney, if you sieze this moment, it’s yours, baby!
Romney, take a page from Caesar: let the dice fly high!
HE would have scraped Obama off his shoe!
So, a government investigation would not only clear November but take “years”? Haha, do tell! Obama and Holder must be laughing their cool, hip heads off at that fat old white Jewish lady Dianne Feinstein. She’s about as dangerous as that skinny white dude Darryl Issa. I mean, as IF.
President Romney’s DoJ needs to set its new attorneys on big targets and big scandals in 2013. DiFi can blink in confusion and wonder at who betrayed her.
Senator Feinstein sounds not only but worried as well.
She is confused because wants legislation NOW. But she also wants a “fair investigation” first. How does she square this circle?
She is worried. She is one of a few privileged people in government who has top security clearance. But not as high as Obama’s. POTUS, in the American system, is the only person who has 100% security clearance. This gives him the authority to appoint select individuals who would be made privy on intelligence which only Obama knows in its full entirety. Feinstein is one of them and she is worried that Obama has kept crucial aspects from her.
Sensitive intelligence and counter-intelligence is supposed to have these special individuals who, along with Obama, serve as gatekeepers. But serial leaks took place and Obama has blissfully ignored them until now and she doesn’t know the how and the why and the who.
She, as an elected Senator, is sufficiently removed from other Obama (unelected) gatekeepers in State, Defence, Justice, Homeland Security, National Intelligence,etc, about whom Obama is not necessarily worried. The others are beholden to him. Feinstein is beholden to her voters.
So, she’s worried that Obama might throw her under the bus if the rising drumbeat of questions start to harm Obama’s re-election. Nobody in the Dem Party is any longer in doubt about Obama might do or not do. Ask Slick Willy.
Of all the things I could have imagined leaking from the white house, intelligence was never among the candidates.
Now let’s all hold our breaths in anticipation of the results of the investigation.
If Holder cannot find out what happened in F&F and who murdered a BP, then does anybody really think he will find out who leaked classified info from the WH or DOD??? Oh, yeah, he is sending two DOJ investigators out to track this down…
At some point, I hope the 40% of Americans who are not brain dead will finally realize that this poser president and his administration and the progressive left are not Americans who love this nation, but people who hate everything the flag, our National Anthem (Bill moron Press), our culture and traditions stand for and want to destroy it.
And to the millions who do not vote, but are not reading this site, I hope they rot in their hell because they are partly to blame for this mess.
White House intelligence leaks? A first class oxymoron isn’t it?
I find myself nearly speechless every time I agree with Diane Feinstein. I’m not often speechless – her opinion and mine do not often converge. Although I don’t know for sure what her stance was on some of the more serious breaches of intelligence during the Bush years I don’t remember her braying over them to the media when leaks were first published in the NYT. Where was her concern then? And just whats in it for her coming out against these leaks?
Strange behavior indeed! Is she turning on Zero? More and more the Democrats seem less enamored of the idiot-savant boy-king. His only real talent it would seem is reading from the teleprompter. Seems the varnish has worn off Zero’s facade and even the dedicated loons are jumping ship.
Life is interesting these days – and oh so sweet.
It’s “displacement” a pseudo-physhological term where one in the family, who hates their family member, defends them vehemently against all criticism from outsiders.
In Feinstein’s case, she may not realize she’s even angry at Obama but is craftily hunting for that person or persons who have undermined his stature and awesomeness. In other words, someone’s trying to make him look bad by trying to make him look good. I know, it’s kind of hard to understand but the convoluted logic that spur-of-the-moment party hacks and then the knee-jerk news twits react to are a kind of special soupçon of what goes on in their feeble minds.
As we know, what is the truth today to a national socialist, is not the truth tomorrow, yet they will swear it was, and is, straight-faced, without any hesitation while a conservative, hearing this would have them shaking their heads and wondering how both can be true.
So Feinstein is probably reveling in the news that Obama looks like a real bad-ass about terrorism, while decrying whoever it is who’s undermining the president with intel leaks. My money’s on Barry himself because he needs the image-polish for his campaign and that’s all that’s important to him. National security is of no concern to him.
Well, that’s just it. For any Administration to investigate itself is a dubious proposition. For this one? Absurd.
Interesting, the tidbit about the CIA sharing OBL hit details with a filmmaker. Interesting because financing of movies is big business, and all sorts of parties seem to be involved, providing seed money. The same is alleged to be true for the funding of various companies, especially those that are treasure troves of information, rumors, etc..
I believe that the Obama Administration has achieved near-zero credibility. I believe that laws of probability and physics make it impossible for it to reach zero. Otherwise..
It wouldn’t take any time at all to uncover the leakers. This is a matter of national security and therefore, the reporters would not be protected by the first amendment. They have to either give up their sources or be charged with treason. Bad news for the administration.
I would agree….in a normal presidential administration.
I just discovered the only poll available that asks you whether one believes that Holder’s people will ever find out the true source of the national security leaks with a simple “yes” or “no” choice.
One can vote at http://www.AmericasChronicle.com
Diane Feinstein’s loyalty in matters of intelligence leaks should be to her country not her party.
Funny, isn’t it? Absolutely utterly top-secret national security data gets leaked to the media and nobody knows how but we still can’t find out what the Obummer’s grades were in freshman English.