Posted on 02/02/2006 10:50:14 AM PST by SkyPilot
WASHINGTON - CIA Director Porter Goss said Thursday that the disclosure of President Bush's eavesdropping-without-warrants program and other once-secret projects had undermined U.S. intelligence-gathering abilities.
"The damage has been very severe to our capabilities to carry out our mission," Goss told the Senate Intelligence Committee. He said a federal grand jury should be empaneled to determine "who is leaking this information."
His testimony came after National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, who directs all intelligence activities, strongly defended the program, calling it crucial for protecting the nation against its most menacing threat.
"This was not about domestic surveillance," Negroponte said.
Leaders of the nation's intelligence agencies appeared before the panel in a rare public session to give a rundown on threats facing the world.
Negroponte called al-Qaida and associated terror groups the "top concern" of the U.S. intelligence community, followed closely by the nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea.
Committee Democrats sought to change the focus to the president's decision to authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop — without first obtaining warrants — on communications to and from those in the United States and terror suspects abroad.
"The president has not only confirmed the existence of the program, he has spoken at length about it repeatedly," while keeping Congress in the dark, said Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the panel's senior Democrat.
"The administration wants to have it both ways," said Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich.
Goss complained that leaks to the news media about the surveillance program and activities such as reported CIA secret prisons abroad had damaged his own agency's work.
CIA Director Porter Goss, and FBI Director Robert Mueller, right, talk as they prepare for the U.S. Select Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine the world threat, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Email Photo Print Photo
"I use the words `very severe' intentionally. And I think the evidence will show that," Goss said.
He said not only have these revelations made it harder for the CIA to gather information, but they have made intelligence agencies in other countries mistrustful of their U.S. counterparts.
"I'm stunned to the quick when I get questions from my professional counterparts saying, `Mr. Goss, can't you Americans keep a secret?'" he said.
Goss cited a "disruption to our plans, things that we have under way." Some CIA sources and "assets" had been rendered "no longer viable or usable, or less effective by a large degree," he said.
"I also believe that there has been an erosion of the culture of secrecy and we're trying to reinstall that," Goss said.
"I've called in the FBI, the Department of Justice. It is my aim and it is my hope that we will witness a grand jury investigation with reporters present, being asked to reveal who is leaking this information," he said.
Rockefeller suggested that the "leaks" Goss talked about most likely "came from the executive branch" of the government.
That brought a terse response from FBI Director Robert Mueller, who said, "It's not fair to point a finger as to the responsibility of the leak."
A better response would've been, "then you support an investigation into these security leaks Senator?"
I love your photoshop of Hamster Hillary.
So we have real damage to CIA agents and assets, unlike the these wannabees.
Bump.
I have never been mothed, but I hope it hurts like a sumbitch!
Send Jack Bauer to get the info of the mole, starting with Tratator Rockefeller!!
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
I really hope so.
I've had it with traitor demoRATS and Republican passiveness.
Not to mention this letter (post #94) from Jul 2003 about the NSA program that Rocky "conveniently" pulled out when this went public.
The next thing I want to hear from the Goss is "Hey Rocky, watch me pull some handcuffs out of my hat".
I expect the NY Times to have a hysterical editorial about this testimony tomorrow. I think one reason they were so hysterical about Alito's being confirmed was that they feared that a legal suit related to their publication of National Security secrets would wind up before the Supreme Court and with Alito the jig would be up.
To bring this down to a level Mr. Rockeefellar can understand; he seems to have a case of "smellers the fellar" to me.
As we speak, Fitz's case is hitting a brick wall and the defense is making him back up his granstanding statements with, gulp, evidence. He is failing and refusing to turn it over (perhaps because he DOESN'T HAVE IT).
To sum up, the Admin is being raked over the coals for harming national security. Yah ummmkay. Along comes this matter which ACTUALLY damages national security by disclosing information that is, gulp, actually secret and the dems and MSM want to treat it as if it is A-OK.
Bravo.
You summed up the entire affair in a few lines. The next time someone goes on Chrissy Matthews show and tries to spin it that nobody can follow this mess, I'll remember your post.
knee cap him
And those are just the Celebrities....that we know about...But I did hear Goss say Reporters were going to be quizzed as to their sources....could get very interesting!
The game has changed. This President is not going to roll over and play dead while people in either the Executive Branch or Congress leak information to the press that inhibits his ability to wage war. He is not running for reelection and neither is Dick Cheney. He does not give a rip about prosecuting a sitting Senator or hauling one before a Grand Jury if necessary. He is PISSED about this leak and he is going to get to the bottom of it.
Rockefeller is the leaker
I just caught the last part, I want to see the replay also....ping me!
Add Rockefeller into that mix also
The Justice Dept has been investigating this now for weeks.
The statement by the CIA Director while testifying in front of Congress was a shot across the bow, and everyone in DC knows it.
A Grand Jury can be empaneled fairly quickly. Federal Grand Juries are usually about 16 to 23 people. They meet regularly, but I think the frequency varies from one district to another. Grand juries have the power to use subpoenas to gather the evidence they need to use in deciding whether crimes have been committed - and that is what makes everyone who was associated with this leak nervous.
We have to remember that when it is in the hands of a Grand Jury, the spin of "it's all politics" melts away. This is serious business, and people are not playing political games at that point.
The question now it, will the Justice Dept take the next step? If they do, watch the Beltway crowd and the MSM howl.
It is always the hurt hog that squeals.
Finally - the media gets something right!
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