Brian Ross of ABC News
Posted on 05/23/2007 7:32:53 PM PDT by ovrtaxt
Brian Ross of ABC News |
ABC News is coming under heavy criticism for its exclusive report revealing a purported CIA covert operation designed to destabilize the government of Iran.
Brian Ross of ABC reported last night:
The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.
"Isn't this type of reporting TREASON?!" asks Robert Lipps in an ABC thread receiving hundreds of comments. "Where's the responsibility for the good of the country? This is disgusting! What are you thinking?"
Dawn Mansfield wrote: "Why, if it is covert, are you airing it and telling the Iranians what we are doing? Do you want more war and more killings of Americans? Let them do their job's and keep your mouths shut."
(Story continues below)
ABC's report has also caught the attention of at least two Republicans running for president.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he was "shocked."
"The reporting has the potential of jeopardizing our national security," Romney said. "To put it quite plainly, it has the potential of affecting human life, we may never know."
Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado called it "absolutely irresponsible for any media to publish a story like this."
"When foreign governments and terrorist groups can simply watch the news to find out about potential U.S. intelligence operations, we have a problem on our hands."
Tancredo will ask the attorney general to open a criminal probe into the source of the leak and the network's decision to disclose the information, as well as call for congressional hearings.
"I just hope Democrats and the media show as much interest in this as they did over Valerie Plame," he said.
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ABC News has responded to the criticism, saying in a statement:
"In the six days since we first contacted the CIA and the White House, at no time did they indicate that broadcasting this report would jeopardize lives or operations on the ground. ABC News management gave them the repeated opportunity to make whatever objection they wanted to regarding our report. They chose not to."
ABC did receive some supportive comments on its thread, including:
Good story but I’d say the Iranian government is doing a pretty good job of destablizing itself. Their madness can’t go on forever.
Is Brian Ross Jewish? I ask this because he is not only undermining AMERICA, but Israel also!! What a TRAITOR!!
Why do I think that won't happen? As if this administration has any guts.
If ABC had any patriotism left, they would publically reveal the sources, fire Brian Ross, and condemn the airing of national security information. But we know ABC does not understand patriotism, they reported this in the hopes of getting more troops killed so they can report the “failures” in Iraq and the WOT so they can get their ratings up.
The enemedia strikes again.
Been here before ... NY Slimes, remember. What happened there, will happen here.
I don’t care what lame excuse ABC gives for this report, I sincerely hope they are prosecuted.
If ABC had gotten an answer from the government about publishing the report, they would have just published the answer along with the report itself.
They are literally unable to keep their gossipy, traitorous mouths shut for the good of the country.
How did it become so acceptable to criticize this government in the time of war as to openly leak secrets?
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why the WH invites these backstabbing sleazebags into the press room every day. Mainstream media press briefings should be done away with, and real reporters from the real world should be brought in.
I won't fight for you. If Muslim terrorists kidnap you and saw your head off, I won't lift a finger to help. I'll stand on my chair and pump my fist in the air and cheer.
The easy solution is to either hang or put in jail forever whoever in the government is leaking the country’s secrets
Levin actually spoke out strongly about this on his show this evening. I sadly can’t find an e-mail addy for him just to say “ROCK ON!!” I hope there are no repercussions from ABC..
I’m sure the person who leaked this will be caught and severely punished.
That can only mean that the CIA wants Iran to know this news, or that it is actually old news. I feel better about this if that is the case.
I give our guys more credit. I think we’ve been in Iran with some operations for at least a year and a half now, but maybe this simply raises the level.
No one really knows who is leaking what to who.
Maybe we wanted this story out...
Before the suicide bombers come here, we need to place signs pointing to the enemedia as primary targets.
There was time when we executed traitors. However, since the Sandy Burgular "kid glove" episode, we no longer punish such actions. We wait and then give them back their security clearance...so they can do it again.
...and then there's THAT possibility.
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