Posted on 07/20/2005 6:23:03 AM PDT by Perlstein
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame?s name was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson?s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this ?talking point?:
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, ?And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day.?
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, ?Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them.?
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, ?And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that.?
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, ?It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day.?
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who ?work at a desk? in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation?s security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation?s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends.
They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government?s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.
Larry Johnson
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
Note, the undersigned are from both the CIA's Directorate of Operations and Directorate of Intelligence.
Boy howdy, these folks did a fine job warning us about 9-11.
What is this about? Weird?
Nothing to see here. Move along.
You have a link to this? What's the origin?
Maybe the CIA should have been a little more careful with their assignments. They hired Wilson at his wife's request who launched a PR campaign against Bush and joined the John Kerry election tour. They have some explaining to do.
Larry Johnson. He sounds familiar. Doesnt he do TV now for CNN?
So they're confident of the facts, eh? And the people who are defending Rove see it a different way. Who the hell are THEY to say what others can say?? Take whatever stand you want, you lamebrains, but don't tell other people they can't take a stand. Hell, the Washington Times ran a story last week saying that Plame/Wilson were OPEN about their connection to the CIA.
The First Amendment rules, baby.
I wonder who these folks voted for the past 20 years?
These comments are being made because the liberal MSM and liberal Democrats are attempting to show that an innocent man has "broken the law," and they are using this issue to try to get him fired and to attack the President. It is the Democrats and their lap dogs in the MSM who are keeping this issue alive. Republicans would be happy if the Democrats dropped the issue.
"We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act."
Fine. Then shut up. You're attacking the wrong party anyway - fools.
Maybe we could look for them on that site...
Cheers!
She wasn't covert at the time so there was no crime.
That being said, we shouldn't go around revealing every non-covert CIA agent to the world just because they aren't covert.
Unless, of course, there is a rationale to reveal that name. For example, if the fix was in from the beginning and the CIA agent got her husband an important job even though she knew he wasn't right for the job because of his partisian democratic nature.
Especially, if that non-covert agent cannot stop her husband from blabbing and lieing to the world about the covert job that the non-covert agent got him.
The only time Democrats have ever gone so far as to presume giving a damn about the CIA is when they have a chance to target an official in a Republican administration.
This is all quite pathetic.
Beats me. I couldn't get past this:
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
And this:
The Honorable Harry Reid
lol. So true.
This is a liberal attack on Republicans. It's that simple. The liberals have been pushing this issue and the Republicans have been defending themselves. Then, the liberals want the Republicans to shut up. This letter is full of crap.
That should have been disgruntled formers.
I have a friend who was in the CIA for 20 plus years and he thinks all this crap is a none issue stirred up by the Dems for political reasons. I agree with him...
Gee, too bad these guys didn't speak out when the left didn't make it a crime to divulge an agent's name.
Or when Kerry outted an agent on public television. And countless other examples below:
"Minority Leader Harry Reid Strayed From His Prepared Remarks On The Senate Floor Yesterday And Promised To Continue Opposing One Of President Bush's Judicial Nominees Based On 'A Problem' He Said Is In The Nominee's 'Confidential Report From The FBI.'" (Charles Hurt, "Reid Cites FBI File On Judicial Pick," The Washington Times, 5/13/05)
· "Those Highly Confidential Reports Are Filed On All Judicial Nominees, And Severe Sanctions Apply To Anyone Who Discloses Their Contents. Less Clear Is Whether A Senator Could Face Sanctions For Characterizing The Content Of Such Files." (Charles Hurt, "Reid Cites FBI File On Judicial Pick," The Washington Times, 5/13/05)
Reid: "Henry Saad Would Have Been Filibustered Anyway ... All You Need To Do Is Have A Member Go Upstairs And Look At His Confidential Report From The FBI, And I Think We Would All Agree That There Is A Problem There." (Charles Hurt, "Reid Cites FBI File On Judicial Pick," The Washington Times, 5/13/05)
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) Revealed Name Of Undercover CIA Officer In Senate Hearing:
"John R. Bolton, President Bush's Nominee To Be Ambassador To The United Nations, Delicately Referred To The Undercover Officer As 'Mr. Smith' At His Confirmation Hearing On Monday."" (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Loose Lips Let Slip Agent's Name At Hearing," The New York Times, 4/13/05)
"Though Mr. Armstrong [Name Kerry Revealed] Had Been Identified In News Reports Two Years Ago About His Dispute With Other Officials Over Intelligence Involving Cuba, That Was When He Was The National Intelligence Officer For Latin America, And His Name Was No Secret. When The Bolton Nomination Resurrected The Old Accounts, However, The C.I.A. Asked News Organizations To Withhold His Name." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Loose Lips Let Slip Agent's Name At Hearing," The New York Times, 4/13/05)
"[M]r. Kerry Mentioned [Armstrong] By Name While Questioning Mr. Bolton. The Hearings Were Televised, And Transcripts Were Widely Published." (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Loose Lips Let Slip Agent's Name At Hearing," The New York Times, 4/13/05)
. "'Did Otto Reich Share His Belief That Fulton Armstrong Should Be Removed For His Position?' Mr. Kerry Said During The Hearing On Monday, Reading From Committee Records Of Interviews Its Staff Had Conducted. 'The Answer Is Yes.'" (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Loose Lips Let Slip Agent's Name At Hearing," The New York Times, 4/13/05)
. "Mr. Bolton Was Not Ruffled. 'As I Said,' He Replied, Sticking To The Alias, 'I Had Lost Confidence In Mr. Smith, And I Conveyed That.'" (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Loose Lips Let Slip Agent's Name At Hearing," The New York Times, 4/13/05)
Sen. Patrick "Leaky" Leahy (D-VT) Forced To Resign Intelligence Committee Post Because Of Loose Lips:
Leahy Was Forced To Resign From The Senate Intelligence Committee After Leaking Information On The Iran-Contra Investigation. "Sen. Patrick Leahy's admission that he resigned from the Intelligence Committee this year for 'carelessly' exposing the panel's draft report on the Iran-Contra investigation comes at a time of increased political tension over the issue of leaks to the news media." (George Lobsenz, UPI, 7/29/87)
"Leahy Asserted His Only Goal Was To Prove That The Draft 'Was Being Held Up Because There Were Major Gaps And Other Problems With It, And Not Because Of A Desire To Embarrass The President.' He Said He Was 'Angry With Himself For Carelessly Allowing The Press Person To Examine The Unclassified Information.'" (George Lobsenz, UPI, 7/29/87)
"[Leahy] Leaked A Draft Report On The Iran-Contra Affair, Leading To His Resignation From The Intelligence Panel. Behavior Like This Earned For Him The Sobriquet, 'Leaky Leahy.'" (Jay Nordlinger, "The 'Nastiest' Democrat: Sen. Patrick Leahy, Republican Nightmare," National Review, 7/9/01)
Leahy Leaked Information He Received During A CIA Briefing On A Television Show. "The article [in Reader's Digest] said [Sen. Patrick] Leahy inadvertently revealed intelligence secrets obtained during a CIA briefing just two hours prior to the Senator's appearance on television." (UPI, 10/30/86)
"[W]ritten By Washington Political Columnists Rowland Evans And Robert Novak, Said Leahy's Mistake Tipped Off Governments Around The World About A CIA Tactic Of Intercepting Tele Phone [Sic] Calls To Obtain Intelligence Information." (UPI, 10/30/86)
· "In The Letter [To Reader's Digest], Leahy Said The Material He Discussed In The Show Had Already Been Disclosed By Administration Officials. The Letter Calls The Article 'A Well-Timed, Politically Motivated Libel By Two Writers Known To Have Close Ties To The Far Right.'" (UPI, 10/30/86)
"Also, In The '80's, Leahy Gained Some Notoriety As A Member Of The Intelligence Committee. He Was Charged With Revealing Classified Information During The Achille Lauro Terrorist Incident, Outraging Administration Officials." (Jay Nordlinger, "The 'Nastiest' Democrat: Sen. Patrick Leahy, Republican Nightmare," National Review, 7/9/01)
Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Intelligence Committee Member, Revealed Information On Classified Spy Program:
"Sen. Ron Wyden, During This Month's Debate On Intelligence Reform, Said A 'Major Acquisition Program' Was 'Too Expensive' And 'Unnecessary.'" (Jeff Kosseff, "Wyden Treads Slippery Slope In Intelligence Reform Debate," The Oregonian, 12/20/04)
"But In The Arcane World Of Intelligence Spending, Where Billions Are Doled Out With No Public Discussion, It Was The Equivalent Of Shouting Fire In A Crowded Theater. Wyden Is A Member Of The Senate Intelligence Committee, Which Typically Meets In Top-Secret, Closed Sessions." (Jeff Kosseff, "Wyden Treads Slippery Slope In Intelligence Reform Debate," The Oregonian, 12/20/04)
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Ranking Member, Senate Intelligence Committee, Revealed Information On Classified Spy Program:
"Tucked Inside Congress' New Blueprint For U.S. Intelligence Spending Is A Highly Classified And Expensive Spy Program." (Katherine Pfleger Shrader, "Lawmaker Says Mystery Spy Project 'Dangerous To National Security'," The Associated Press, 12/9/04)
"In An Unusually Public Rebuke Of A Secret Government Project, Sen. Jay Rockefeller Of West Virginia, The Senior Democrat On The Senate Intelligence Committee, Complained Wednesday That The Program Was 'Totally Unjustified And Very, Very Wasteful And Dangerous To The National Security.' He Called The Program 'Stunningly Expensive.'" (Katherine Pfleger Shrader, "Lawmaker Says Mystery Spy Project 'Dangerous To National Security'," The Associated Press, 12/9/04)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Alluded To Secret Spy Program In ABC Interview:
"Durbin, During An Interview Sunday With ABC's 'This Week,' Alluded To The Secret Dispute Within Congress. 'Eventually Some Information Will Come Out,' Durbin Told ABC. 'But It Does Point To The Weakness In The Whole Process. It Takes A Leak To Understand That Billions Of Taxpayers' Dollars Are Being Wasted That Could Be Spent To Make America Safer.'" (Ted Bridis, "Feds Urged To Probe Leaks On Spy Project Opposed By Levin," The Associated Press, 12/15/04)
Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger Stole And Destroyed Classified Documents From National Archives:
"Former National Security Advisor Samuel R. 'Sandy' Berger Admitted ... That He Had Stolen Classified Documents, Destroyed Some Of Them, Then Lied About What He Had Done. As A Seasoned Foreign Policy Manager Under President Clinton, Berger ... Had Also Been Entrusted With The Highest Security Clearance Granted By The Government." (Johanna Neuman, "Top Clinton Aide Admits He Pilfered Documents," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/05)
"[H]e Pleaded Guilty To A Misdemeanor And Acknowledged In Painstaking, Often Humiliating Detail How In 2003 He Had Secretly Removed Sensitive Documents Involving Anti-Terrorist Policy From The National Archives, And Afterward Sought To Mislead Investigators And The Public." (Johanna Neuman, "Top Clinton Aide Admits He Pilfered Documents," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/05)
· "In Addition To Removing The Five Documents And Lying About His Actions, Berger Acknowledged That He Destroyed Three Of Them With Scissors." (Johanna Neuman, "Top Clinton Aide Admits He Pilfered Documents," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/05)
Berger: "I Exercised Very Poor Judgment ... I Deeply Regret It. It Was Mistaken And It Was Wrong. ... I'm Pleased That This Matter Is Resolved, And I Look Forward To Moving On." (Johanna Neuman, "Top Clinton Aide Admits He Pilfered Documents," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/05)
"Prosecutors Are Recommending That Berger Be Fined $10,000 And Stripped Of His Security Clearance For Three Years." (Johanna Neuman, "Top Clinton Aide Admits He Pilfered Documents," Los Angeles Times, 4/2/05)
NBC's Andrea Mitchell: "Berger Has Stepped Down From The Kerry Campaign, But That Didn't Stop The Sniping. Democrats Claim The Story Was Leaked Just In Time To Distract From The 9/11 Report." John Podesta Clinton White House Chief Of Staff: "I Think That A Lot Of People Are Skeptical That This Wasn't Engineered By People Some Place In The Government." (NBC's "Nightly News," 7/21/04)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Has Repeatedly Opposed Measures To Strengthen Anti-Leak Laws:
Schumer Voted Against "Adoption Of The Conference Report On The Bill To Make It A Felony To Publicly Expose The Identities Of U.S. Covert Intelligence Officers, Agents, Informants And Sources." (H.R. 4, CQ Vote #125: Adopted: 315-32: R 159-0; D 156-32; 6/3/82, Schumer Voted Nay)
"A New Federal Policy To Prosecute Federal Employees Who Leak Certain Kinds Of Information To The Press Not Only Could Inhibit Whistle-Blowing About Government Abuse, But Also Could Pose A Direct Threat To Reporters' Use Of Confidential Sources, Legislators And Free-Speech Attorneys Said Thursday." (Thomas B. Rosenstiel, "Rule May Curb Press's Use Of Secret Sources," Los Angles Times, 8/4/89)
· "The New Policy, Announced By The Justice Department On Wednesday, Reverses Department Guidelines Dating Back 11 Years That Were Designed To Protect Government Whistle-Blowers In The Wake Of The Watergate Scandal And Revelations Of CIA Misconduct." (Thomas B. Rosenstiel, "Rule May Curb Press's Use Of Secret Sources," Los Angles Times, 8/4/89)
"'I Am Worried That This Policy Is So Broad It Could Easily Be Abused,' Said [Then-] Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). 'Whistle-Blowers Could Be Prosecuted On Political Whim.'" (Thomas B. Rosenstiel, "Rule May Curb Press's Use Of Secret Sources," Los Angles Times, 8/4/89)
Florida Times-Union Editorial: "But The Democrats Want More. Much Of The Rhetoric Is Coming From Sen. Chuck Schumer, Who Has Sought To Decriminalize The Leaking Of Classified Data For Over A Decade. This Makes Him Come Off As Petty, And A Little Hypocritical." (Editorial, "Politics Much Ado," Florida Times-Union, 10/2/03)
Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) Voted Against Law Making It Crime To Disclose Covert Agents' Names:
Biden Was One Of Only Three Democrats To Vote Against The Intelligence Identities Protection Act. (H.R. 4, CQ Vote #170: Adopted 81-4: R 44-1; D 37-3; 6/10/82, Biden Voted Nay)
"By A Vote Of 81 To 4, The Senate Cleared The Intelligence Identities Protection Act, Which Makes A Crime Of Disclosing The Name Of Covert Agents." (Michael Wright, William C. Rhoden And Caroline Rand Herron, "Senate Approves Agent Protection," The New York Times, 6/13/82)
· "The 'No' Votes In The Senate Were Cast By Joseph R. Biden Jr. Of Delaware, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Of New York And Gary Hart Of Colorado, All Democrats, And Charles Mathias Jr. Of Maryland, A Republican." ("Bill To Penalize Uncovering Of Agents Passed By Senate," The New York Times, 6/11/82)
How could she be working "under cover" if she worked at Langley every day? It is illegal for the CIA to operate within the United States. That is the job of the FBI. The CIA works exclusively outside the country. That is their charter.
This constitutes a breach of the code of confidentiality and cover. These people are "former". Twits.
Translation: "DNC asks supporters, former CIA agents to tell RNC to shut up" ;)
I thought that one had to be overseas to be described as covert, esp. with this particular accusation. Am I wrong?
Can you say CIA cover-up?... I knew you could. I think this letter demands a full and thorough investigation into the CIA and it's role into attempting to direct the outcome of the election.
It would be much better if they told Joe Wilson to shut up.
To all those former CIA officers. The CIA was partly responsible for 9/11. The CIA is so political Valerie Plame was involved in a scam to embarrass the Commander in Chief by sending her political hack fraud husband to Niger. It was the CIA that told the President "it's a slam dunk" when asked about WMD. It's ok that Plame outed herself years earlier as did her own husband. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.
"Formers." Maybe Clinton Administration people? Current duty people can't say squat, wouldn't it put them in danger?
Wasn't Bush planning to dissolve the CIA in his second term? What ever became of that?
LARRY JOHNSON, right there! He has backed Wilson totally. OMG. Good find. I totally new I saw him somewhere. Wow. You gotta admit the letter on their part is strategic to say the least, this will be used by dems to further the story I guarantee it.
And aren't all these people perhaps "outing" themselves or those they worked with by putting their names to this document?
Whats the source?
What amazes me is they really think people are so stupid as take their word and not do any research ourselves. They keep digging the hole and I keep praying they fall in.
Been doing this for years and the neighbors are none the wiser.......The folks at Einsteins are beginning to wonder tho...
It's funny, Plame's former boss at the CIA has been on national radio, saying the same thing. Plame was exposed by Aldrich Ames and the CIA's own carelessness. The statute states that the CIA must be making every effort to conceal the agent's identity and that certainly was not the case. I guess it's a good thing that these politicized agents were drummed out of the CIA.
This memo is incredibly unprofessional. It shows that we have had a lot of real jerks working in out CIA and intelligence services.
I would fire the lot of them.
Somehow, the RNC forgot to inform me of their talking points so I have had to on my own, judge events as they have unfolded. I have not yet figured why this situation concerns a leak when there has been no leak. All I come up with is a MSM beating the drums for entrenched,and unelected, CIA employees who think they should control foreign policy rather than allow the elected President George Bush to do so. I hope to God that this administration is cleaning house big time at all of the government agencies where unelected employees are subverting US policies because of their personal liberal persuasions.
so wha'?
these are democrat cia guys.
Yeah. LOL Geniuses aren't they?
Valerie Plame-Wilson gave a donation to Al Gore's campaign from the CIA front company. That's a great way to keep a secret. /sarc
Who is Larry Johnson? He's the author of one of the more poorly timed op-eds in history. On July 10, 2001, he wrote in the New York Times under the headline "The Declining Terrorist Threat" that "Americans have little to fear" from terrorism unless they travel or work in a few of the world's hotspots.
Hmmmm. How do we know they are former CIA? We could write something and say we were former CIA undercover agents.
Boo hoo hoo, sob,snivel, whine, don't you people KNOW WHO WE ARE??????
They don't, it's illegal to conduct covert operations within the U.S. but it's normal for agents to maintain their cover after coming back from covert operations overseas. That said, it doesn't look to me like Plame's cover was legitimate. Her former boss claims it was, but then I must question his judgement.
It used to be illegal for them to operate in the US, but it isn't now. I can't remember what year the law changed but I think it was late 1980s or early 1990s. It was even a question on "Jeopardy" a few years ago.
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