Posted on 04/22/2006 1:50:41 PM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Schieffer Denounces “Dubious First” Firing of Leaker & Totenberg Praises Stories
Brent Baker
April 21, 2006 - 22:22.
At least one leading mainstream journalists isn't too happy about the revelation Friday that on Thursday the CIA fired an official who admitted being the leaker of top secret information about CIA prisons overseas used to hold al-Qaeda suspects. Bob Schieffer didn't withhold his personal opinion from his newscast as he introduced a CBS Evening News story by asserting that “it is no secret that the current administration does not like its people hanging out with news reporters without permission” and he described the firing as “a first -- a dubious first, to be sure.”
Citing the Washington Post story on the then-secret prisons and the New York Times article disclosing terrorist surveillance efforts, both of which won Pulitzer Prizes on Monday, NPR's Nina Totenberg declared on Inside Washington that nefarious Bush administration practices justified the decision to reward the two newspapers: "It's a good thing that they won for those intelligence stories because the Bush administration is investigating now and is threatening to subpoena and conceivably jail those reporters. So I think it's important that those stories be rewarded as something important to have done." (Transcripts follow.)
CBS's story didn't name the CIA staff member and neither did ABC's World News Tonight which held itself to a short item read by the anchor. Friday afternoon on MSNBC, and on the NBC Nightly News, Andrea Mitchell identified the fired CIA employee as Mary McCarthy of the CIA's Inspector General's office. MSNBC.com's story, by Robert Windrem and Mitchell, reported:
In a rare occurrence, the CIA fired an officer who acknowledged giving classified information to a reporter, NBC News learned Friday.
The officer flunked a polygraph exam before being fired on Thursday and is now under investigation by the Justice Department, NBC has learned.
Intelligence sources tell NBC News the accused officer, Mary McCarthy, worked in the CIA's inspector general's office and had worked for the National Security Council under the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.
The leak pertained to stories on the CIA’s rumored secret prisons in Eastern Europe, sources told NBC. The information was allegedly provided to Dana Priest of the Washington Post, who wrote about CIA prisons in November and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for her reporting.
Sources said the CIA believes McCarthy had more than a dozen unauthorized contacts with Priest. Information about subjects other than the prisons may have been leaked as well....
[UPDATE: Saturday's New York Times reported: "Public records show that Ms. McCarthy contributed $2,000 in 2004 to the presidential campaign of John Kerry, the Democratic nominee."]
That Priest story was a November 2 front page article, “CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons: Debate Is Growing Within Agency About Legality and Morality of Overseas System Set Up After 9/11.” See this Post page for a collection of Priest's 2005 stories for which she won the Pultizer “for her persistent, painstaking reports on secret 'black site' prisons and other controversial features of the government’s counterterrorism campaign.” My April 18 NewsBusters item, “Pulitzer Prizes Award Journalists Who Undermined Anti-Terrorism Programs,” provided a rundown of the honoring of Priest and New York Times reporter James Risen, as well as of Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan for her shots at conservatives.
Schieffer introduced the April 21 CBS Evening News story:
“It is no secret that the current administration does not like its people hanging out with news reporters without permission. But the administration took that concern to a new level today and scored a first -- a dubious first, to be sure -- but a first. Jim Stewart has more on that.”
Later, on Inside Washington aired at 8:30pm EDT on Washington, DC's PBS affiliate, WETA-TV channel 26 (and which will re-air at 7pm Saturday on Washington's cable NewsChannel 8 and again at 10am Sunday on Washington's ABC affiliate, WJLA-TV channel 7 where it was taped Friday afternoon), NPR's Nina Totenberg argued:
“It's a lucky thing that the New York Times and the Washington Post -- not a lucky, it's a good thing that they won for those intelligence stories because the Bush administration is investigating now and is threatening to subpoena and conceivably jail those reporters. So I think it's important that those stories be rewarded as something important to have done....”
“One of the things that a civilized and democratic society is supposed to do is have a system of checks and balances. And this administration did not allow that system of checks and balances to exist. Congress didn't know about this stuff by in large, it didn't approve of this stuff by in large. And the administration has not tried to institute any sort of mechanisms, legal, any legal mechanisms to put, have anybody from outside check them.”
Fellow panelist Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist, retorted: “In the NSA case, that's simply not so. There were eight top leaders in the Congress who knew about the program. To say that Congress was not informed is simply wrong.”
What's not to love?
"he described the firing as “a first -- a dubious first, to be sure.”
Bob, from what I know of history, you didn't get fired for revealing secret info. You got hung or shot.
First of many, Bob, first of many!
All these stinking Klintoon appointees should have been fired on day one!
And this administration did not allow that system of checks and balances to exist.
That's actually not correct. This administration does not allow it's policy to be undermined by a series of politically inspired leaks. The CIA is at war with this administration and the MSM is giving them cover for their attempt to dismantle the elected government.
In other words the CIA and MSM have declared war on We the People.
Will Mary McCarthy suffer the same fate as Jonathan Pollard?
Hey, Bob...I heard you were on the *list*.....
When you try to be Mr. Nice Guy it doesn't work.
I hope the lesson of Bush is learned by the next Republican president!!
Clinton even fired the travel office people.
Bush was more naive than Jimmy Carter.
I hope she gets put to death to serve as a nice, big example to all of the other national security fools and journalists who have a political ax to grind.
CBS, forged documents, zero credibility, yada, yada, yada..
What she did is violate the rules concerning discussing internal CIA matters with unauthorized persons. After all, there are NO SECRET UNDERGROUND CIA PRISONS ~ never were.
Tell Bob Schieffer he should start paying attention to FOX TV's "24". He'd known all about what was going on if he'd watched that show. They sell the first three seasons in DVD sets at the Wal-Mart in fact.
Fortunately, her picture shows she is white.
I figured that with our luck, she would be black... which would bring out Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, etc.
So does this mean that the MSM willactually have to go out and find the story themselves instead of sitting at their desks waiting for someone to call and give them one?
Schieffer is a long-time Dan Rather stooge, cut from the same cloth, just not quite as weird as Rather.
When will he be relieved of his duties?
Schieffer ought to know ... he's been covering the news since Benedict Arnold was made a Major General after Saratoga.
The actual invasion day (D-Day) will be decided by General Eisenhower and will occur next month, ‘Operation Overlord’ is commanded by and the sole responsibility of General Eisenhower.
Key to the success of the invasion is fooling the Germans that the main invasion will take place at Calais. The actual invasion will be Normandy. Calais is just a diversion. Normandy will definitely be the place according to CBS news reporters' contacts within the Roosevelt Administration . . . .
...uh...nevermind. Nobody has less credibility than they do.
He is right she shouldnt have been fired, SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED.
I don't get it...you work at high levels at the CIA, you SIGN a paper that you won't disclose information. What's not to understand here. I swear, between this and the Generals, I really do believe the system is falling apart from within.
2003 = Baghdad Bob
2006 = Black Rock Bob
No real difference.
No. They'll just continue to make stuff up.
Traitors deserve death.
Let's not forget that the demented age of Bent Willie and the Hildebeast, which is still with us, can be attributed in large part to those conservatives and libertarians who voted in protest for the 'lil general.
She should get a cell right next to his.
I hope MSM makes it crystal clear that they condone leaks (or "sharing" as they euphemistically like to call it) of classified information. They have no respect for the classification system and seem to snear at any attempt by our government to protect itself (and us). At the same time they fight every attempt by the government to find out what the enemy is doing. Let their arrogance shine for all to see.
CBS should be run out of the country...... evil incarnate.
Civil services laws make firing federal employees very difficult. If you are for the rule of law, that means all of the laws all of the time.
"Friday afternoon on MSNBC, and on the NBC Nightly News, Andrea Mitchell identified the fired CIA employee as Mary McCarthy of the CIA's Inspector General's office."
From another 'inside source'!!
Seems they just didn't get the message!
This would not have happened, they wanted a second front to help take pressure off the motherland. The left was against fighting hitler until he invaded the ussr
Dyke Alert!!!!! Dyke Alert! Man the Vagibal Dams!!! All Dykes on Board!!!
Today's Dems are trying to change the meaning of checks and balances as between political parties. The founders meant between the three branches of government. We must not let them change the meaning of such a vital part of our government.
Bttt. (Drinking a Sam Adams, listening to "Something Stupid" and reading the posts on this story that just happened to co-incide with my grand-daughter's second birthday) which makes it breaking news to me...Life is good.
Just how stupid do these MSM types think the American people are? Do they really think the people don't know the difference between someone just "leaking" and someone leaking national security information?
It is time to take action before it is too late.
Yes and helping defend Uncle Joe's workers' paradise was the last time the left (progressives) supported the U.S. of A. in war.
I was one of the idiots who thought that Bob Schieffer, though obviously a life-long liberal Democrat, was an "old-fashioned Democrat" who would at least make an attempt to be even-handed. Shame on me. Turns out Schieffer is exactly the scumbag everybody here said he was.
Imagine for one minute that this CIA leaker had leaked something similar during the Clinton Administration. Schieffer would be calling for her head.
I believe it was Fox News Watch, yesterday, where, I heard Bob is being offered a commentary piece twice a week. Incredulously, Jane Hall thought is was a good idea to balance out the news at SeeBS with commentary. Cal Thomas suggested they should have a conservative commentary also. Sorry Cal, but, Bob is the conservative balance to Couric at SeeBS.
Yes, of course.
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