MioMyo
2009-07-12 11:17:51 UTC
What I find revealing about stories like this one is that no one questions
the voracity of these supposed Credible yet Unnamed SOURCES who disclose
such damning information while not wanting to come forth and face questions
themselves.
This is how the left continues trying the Bush administration in the liberal
media press. Where are are all those liberals who would claim protection
under the constitution which mandated that defendants have the right to
confront their accusers?
Oh, that's right not until the left is satisfied with the skewering damage
they can first do by demonizing their opponents in the press, letting the
constitution be damned.....
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/11/cheney.surveillance/
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA withheld information about a secret
counterterrorism program from Congress during the Bush administration on
direct orders from then-Vice President Dick Cheney, current CIA director
Leon Panetta told members of Congress, a knowledgeable source confirmed to
CNN.
The disclosure to the House and Senate intelligence committees about
Cheney's involvement by Panetta was first reported in the New York Times.
Efforts to contact Cheney for reaction were unsuccessful late Saturday.
The source who spoke to CNN did not want to be identified by name because
the matter is classified, and CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano declined comment
on the report.
"It's not agency practice to discuss what may or may not have been said in a
classified briefing," Gimigliano said. "When a CIA unit brought this matter
to Director Panetta's attention, it was with the recommendation that it be
shared with Congress. That was also his view, and he took swift, decisive
action to put it into effect."
The fact that Panetta recently briefed lawmakers on an unspecified
counterterrorism program was first revealed Wednesday, when a letter from
seven House Democrats to Panetta was made public. The June 26 letter
characterizes Panetta as testifying that the CIA "concealed significant
actions from all members of Congress, and misled members for a number of
years from 2001 to this week."
The letter contained no details about what information the CIA officials
allegedly concealed or how they purportedly misled members of Congress.
A knowledgeable source familiar with the matter said the counterterrorism
program in question was initiated shortly after the September 11, 2001,
attacks on New York and Washington.
The program was on-again, off-again and was never fully operational, but was
rather, a tool put on the shelf that could have been used, the source said.
Panetta has put an end to the program, according to the source.
The disclosures follow a May spat between the spy agency and House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, who accused the CIA of misleading Congress during a secret
2002 briefing on harsh interrogation techniques being used on terrorism
suspects. The CIA responded that Pelosi was told about the harsh techniques,
including waterboarding, at the briefing.
However, the June 26 letter from the seven House Democrats noted that
Panetta told CIA employees in a May 15 letter -- a response to the Pelosi
allegation -- that it was not CIA policy to mislead Congress. The letter
from the House Democrats asked Panetta to correct his May 15 statement "in
light of your testimony."
Asked about the Democrats' letter, CIA spokesman George Little said Panetta
"stands by his May 15 statement."
"This agency and this director believe it is vital to keep the Congress
fully and currently informed. Director Panetta's actions back that up,"
Little said in a statement. "As the letter from these ... representatives
notes, it was the CIA itself that took the initiative to notify the
oversight committees."
The latest revelations come as lawmakers consider expanding the number of
House and Senate members privy to the kind of secret briefing that Pelosi
received.
The White House opposes a measure that would increase the number of briefing
participants from the current eight to 40 members of Congress. A White House
memo warned President Obama's senior advisers would recommend a veto of the
bill if it contained the expanded briefing provision.
the voracity of these supposed Credible yet Unnamed SOURCES who disclose
such damning information while not wanting to come forth and face questions
themselves.
This is how the left continues trying the Bush administration in the liberal
media press. Where are are all those liberals who would claim protection
under the constitution which mandated that defendants have the right to
confront their accusers?
Oh, that's right not until the left is satisfied with the skewering damage
they can first do by demonizing their opponents in the press, letting the
constitution be damned.....
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/11/cheney.surveillance/
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA withheld information about a secret
counterterrorism program from Congress during the Bush administration on
direct orders from then-Vice President Dick Cheney, current CIA director
Leon Panetta told members of Congress, a knowledgeable source confirmed to
CNN.
The disclosure to the House and Senate intelligence committees about
Cheney's involvement by Panetta was first reported in the New York Times.
Efforts to contact Cheney for reaction were unsuccessful late Saturday.
The source who spoke to CNN did not want to be identified by name because
the matter is classified, and CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano declined comment
on the report.
"It's not agency practice to discuss what may or may not have been said in a
classified briefing," Gimigliano said. "When a CIA unit brought this matter
to Director Panetta's attention, it was with the recommendation that it be
shared with Congress. That was also his view, and he took swift, decisive
action to put it into effect."
The fact that Panetta recently briefed lawmakers on an unspecified
counterterrorism program was first revealed Wednesday, when a letter from
seven House Democrats to Panetta was made public. The June 26 letter
characterizes Panetta as testifying that the CIA "concealed significant
actions from all members of Congress, and misled members for a number of
years from 2001 to this week."
The letter contained no details about what information the CIA officials
allegedly concealed or how they purportedly misled members of Congress.
A knowledgeable source familiar with the matter said the counterterrorism
program in question was initiated shortly after the September 11, 2001,
attacks on New York and Washington.
The program was on-again, off-again and was never fully operational, but was
rather, a tool put on the shelf that could have been used, the source said.
Panetta has put an end to the program, according to the source.
The disclosures follow a May spat between the spy agency and House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, who accused the CIA of misleading Congress during a secret
2002 briefing on harsh interrogation techniques being used on terrorism
suspects. The CIA responded that Pelosi was told about the harsh techniques,
including waterboarding, at the briefing.
However, the June 26 letter from the seven House Democrats noted that
Panetta told CIA employees in a May 15 letter -- a response to the Pelosi
allegation -- that it was not CIA policy to mislead Congress. The letter
from the House Democrats asked Panetta to correct his May 15 statement "in
light of your testimony."
Asked about the Democrats' letter, CIA spokesman George Little said Panetta
"stands by his May 15 statement."
"This agency and this director believe it is vital to keep the Congress
fully and currently informed. Director Panetta's actions back that up,"
Little said in a statement. "As the letter from these ... representatives
notes, it was the CIA itself that took the initiative to notify the
oversight committees."
The latest revelations come as lawmakers consider expanding the number of
House and Senate members privy to the kind of secret briefing that Pelosi
received.
The White House opposes a measure that would increase the number of briefing
participants from the current eight to 40 members of Congress. A White House
memo warned President Obama's senior advisers would recommend a veto of the
bill if it contained the expanded briefing provision.