Posted on 08/07/2004 3:15:11 AM PDT by Liz
WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.) accused federal law enforcement officials of abuse Thursday after a newspaper reported that federal investigators had concluded he leaked to the media classified messages from the eve of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources familiar with the investigation, reported that the Alabama Republican's role had been confirmed to FBI investigators by Fox News chief political correspondent Carl Cameron. Cameron denied that.
The newspaper said the alleged leak was from a June 19, 2002, interview, following a classified briefing to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. At the time Shelby was the committee's vice chairman.
A statement released by Shelby's office said the senator "never knowingly compromised classified information."
In question are two messages intercepted by the National Security Agency a day before the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Those messages contained the words "the match begins tomorrow" and "tomorrow is zero day," but they were not translated from Arabic until Sept. 12.
Shelby's office said, in a statement released Thursday by his spokeswoman, Virginia Davis, "It bears noting that this story represents a grotesque abuse of a public trust on the part of law enforcement.
"For someone in law enforcement to express one-sided, personal views anonymously to the media while the investigation itself is still under way and while the matter is pending before the Senate Ethics Committee is unprofessional and grossly unfair," Shelby's statement said.
Last month, the Justice Department referred the matter to the Ethics Committee.
Justice Department officials declined to comment on the newspaper report or Shelby's accusation.
Two people who attended the June 19 classified briefing said Shelby aggressively questioned officials about the intercepted messages. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a closed-door meeting.
Intelligence officials said disclosing the Sept. 10 interceptions was harmful because it might have tipped off terrorists that one of their channels of communication had been compromised.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Cameron acknowledged that the FBI talked to him about the investigation, but he denied naming Shelby as a leaker.
"It's flat wrong," Cameron said. "The sum total of my interaction was to tell them that there was no information they could get from Carl Cameron or Fox News and to refer them to my lawyers."
Cameron said he didn't air the material until after it was already reported by CNN. According to the Post's sources, Shelby met with a CNN reporter after he spoke with Cameron, and the network broadcast the information an hour after that.
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Jeffrey McMurray, Associated Press Writer , Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
You're assuming, Senator, that The Washington Post is printing the truth, a foolish assumption at best.
Now this makes more sense.
I think that when it comes to national security leaks the news agency who reports secret material and who doesn't reveal the source should be held in contempt in jail until they reveal the source. If the source is then found without their help then the news person/agency should get the same penalty as the traitor whose loose lips caused a cost in lives, time, and money. No more free ride on this anonymous BullS@@t and a free ride when it comes to national security information.
It has happened----jailing news personnel who won't reveal sources. The press always wins via the inviolateness of media shield laws.
Looks like the Washington Pus is making things up....again.
Amen to that. the media gets by with divulging National security info. then starts pointing fingers. Probably in an attempt to divert attention from their mole in the Justice department. While the FBI is looking for terrorists in the Mosques, they might start checking the offices at the Justice department. Obviously, they have people working there that do not know the meaning of National Security, or don't care to know.
The TIMING of this story is highly suspicious!
For most of Shelby's career he's been a dem and since Nov '94 he's been a RINO. The leopard doesn't change his spots.
Those media shield laws only can come into play when by revealing the source of information can harm an innocent person, not a person that breaks the law by giving government secret or confidential information to the media.
Looks like the Washington Post tried to get Shelby, who is running for reelection, and Carl Cameron/Fox with one story.
News media is smoking crack once again. Senator Shelby is a man of integrity and that is why he left the democratic party. I find it highly improbable the agents would release any info with an incomplete investgation. If they did, the soup lines have plenty of openings. We Dare Defend Our Rights. Bush/Cheney 2004
Triple play.........the WashPo was out to get Ashcroft, as well.
What are you?
Heheh.........nice zinger.
This is just an educated guess (/sarc), but I believe this story is meant to divert attention from criminal investigaitons of Sandy Berger's theft of secret documents.
The Dims are funny that way.........gotta even things up.
It is highly suspicious, the timing of this. He is running for re-election this year. Shelby is very decent and is one who always weighs his words carefully. For him to be a leaker is absurd.
Might this be a hit on Fox News as well as the Senator. We know how the left fears FNC.
My guess is he's mocking Sick William Clintoon who laughed and laughed and laughed at the idea of Sandy Burglar stuffing documents in his pants and socks and who knows where else?
At least, that was Sick Willie's stated response to Burglar doing away with top secret documents.
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