Treason at the State Department: A Whistleblower's Story

pajamasmedia via instapundit ^ | 1/31/2008 | Annie Jacobsen

[shove_it]

The UK’s Sunday Times recently broke the story of an FBI whistleblower kept from speaking publicly about a State Department official suspected of selling nuclear secrets. Annie Jacobsen digs a bit deeper into this shadowy tale and wonders why American media outlets have greeted the revelations with stunning silence.

Two weeks ago, the London Sunday Times broke an exclusive story about FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds. For five years, the U.S. government has prevented Edmonds from speaking publicly on what she knows, claiming State Secrets Privilege. The Times got the exclusive on the story, eerily titled “For Sale: West’s Deadly Nuclear Secrets,” by talking to a number of Edmonds’ close associates who were not under a gag order, and by filling in pieces of the puzzle from Sibel Edmonds herself.

According the Times article, the U.S. government sought to gag Edmonds from revealing that corrupt government officials — specifically, State Department official Marc Grossman — were directly involved in the stealing and selling of nuclear secrets to foreign agents. In her role as translator, Edmonds listened in on, or translated, hundreds of secretly intercepted conversations between State Department officials and foreign nationals from 1996 to 2002.

~snip~

Why has the mainstream media ignored such an important story? This reporter spoke to a number of Edmonds’ colleagues on the subject. One member of the National Security Whistleblower Coalition (NSWC) — over which Edmonds presides — shared Ellsberg’s disbelief at the lack of coverage on the Edmonds story; Ellsberg is also a NSWC member.

~snip~

“Reporters are terrified of the State Secrets Privilege and being subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury. No one wants to wind up like Judy Miller — in jail.”

~snip~

[arderkrag]

The UK’s Sunday Times recently broke the story of an FBI whistleblower kept from speaking publicly about a State Department official suspected of selling nuclear secrets.

SUSPECTED. Not Convicted. There's no need to release suspicions as news stories. All that would lead to would be a bunch of knee-jerk reactionism and hysteria, which is one thing we need less of in this country.

[Archon of the East]

Reporters are terrified of the State Secrets Privilege and being subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury

I have no idea the of the internal dynamics of the actual offense(s)but I am convinced if would of looked bad for anyone but a Democrat it would have been written, written with glee. I say that sincerely based the overall past and present behavior of the "press".

[Adder]

“In January 2008, Senators Kennedy and Specter introduced legislation to reduce the power of this privilege. Most importantly, the legislation would establish that the courts, not the executive branch, would be the governing body to review evidence and decide if information is covered by the privilege or not.”

Absolutely not. Its executive privelege, not permisssion.

All we need to do is give activist judges an even bigger role in destroying this country.

[Ouderkirk]

We should charge Mark Grossman with capital treason and see how things play out in court. If he’s guilty...fry him.

[Fox_Mulder77]

The media wont report this because they dont want their beloved State Dept. exposed for what it is: a group of Liberal Fascists hell bent on promoting the Liberal utopia agenda the media and Dims crave.

[Diogenesis]

Bump for America ... before the traitors make it too late.

Treason at the State Department: A Whistleblower's Story

"The UK’s Sunday Times recently broke the story of an FBI whistleblower kept
from speaking publicly about a State Department official suspected of selling nuclear secrets.
Annie Jacobsen digs a bit deeper into this shadowy tale and wonders why
American media outlets have greeted the revelations with stunning silence.

Two weeks ago, the London Sunday Times broke an exclusive story about
FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds.
For five years, the U.S. government has prevented Edmonds from speaking publicly
on what she knows, claiming State Secrets Privilege. The Times got the exclusive
on the story, eerily titled “For Sale: West’s Deadly Nuclear Secrets,”
by talking to a number of Edmonds’ close associates who were not under a gag order,
and by filling in pieces of the puzzle from Sibel Edmonds herself.

According the Times article, the U.S. government sought to gag Edmonds
from revealing that corrupt government officials — specifically,
State Department official Marc Grossman — were directly involved in the stealing and selling
of nuclear secrets to foreign agents. In her role as translator, Edmonds listened in on,
or translated, hundreds of secretly intercepted conversations
between State Department officials and foreign nationals from 1996 to 2002."

[arderkrag]

There’s already an investigation underway. Otherwise, subpoenaes would not have been issued.

[pissant]

Hang them.

[MarkL]

I have no idea the of the internal dynamics of the actual offense(s)but I am convinced if would of looked bad for anyone but a Democrat it would have been written, written with glee. I say that sincerely based the overall past and present behavior of the "press".

I have to agree... When the media writes about "suspected" wrongdoing, unless its a member of the protected class (leftist or dem), they push it as a fact, and it ruins lives... Anyone else remember the "Olympic Bomber" and what they did to the guy who died just recently?

I trust the press to do their proported jobs about ... Well, I was going to say "as far as I could throw a pickup truck," but no, I don't trust the media at all.

Mark

[Guenevere]

I'm so glad you're here.
Don't ever leave....we need you!

[shove_it]

An earlier story on this issue posted on FR:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1957157/posts

[genefromjersey]

This is,imho,little more than a fresh attempt to get the media to take a bite of a very suspect apple.

It has been circulating - with great cries of glee - in the Lew Rockwell/Alex Jones crowd for about a month : “See ? Them double-dealing Jews ARE out to get you !”

I looked at the story back then, and thought it had more holes than Swiss cheese:an attention-craving “whistleblower”,let go because she could not get along with co-workers (although,in fairness,that decision was set aside); an anonymous letter (composed with the help of that same whistle-blower ?); self-referential links in the UK story (classic Lew Rockwell style);a lot of small things that didn’t add up.

I posted a response (on another forum),including an FAS (Federation of American Scientists) report on how Pakistan got its nukes.

Reaction was immediate: I was a traitor, a secret Zionist-whatever that is- a dirty,lowdown Jew.

I answered “I do not have the honor of being a Jew.”

“What’s honorable about being a Jew , you Jew-lover ?”

(And so it went.)

As I said then, I’ll say now: the story has this stink of disinformation so profoundly, it is no wonder the MSM have been reluctant to touch it.

(Oops ! I forgot to say “the Jew-dominated MSM !”

[longtermmemmory]

wow, FNC is really deader than a doornail if they missed this national security issue.

[AmericaUnite]

Didn’t the proliferation of nuclear weapons come from the UN’s Atoms for Peace program? Third world countries would go to western nations and learn how to use nuclear energy for “peace”.

[maica]

This is,imho,little more than a fresh attempt to get the media to take a bite of a very suspect apple.

IIII

I agree. Someone wants this to becoma a story.

[enough_idiocy]

from wiki...

Grossman played a peripheral role in the Plame Affair, at least in terms of what is currently known.

On 10 June 2003, an analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) sent a memo to Ambassador Grossman outlining Ambassador Joseph Wilson’s trip to Niger and mentioning that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA. Reportedly, Grossman wanted the memo as background to use at a White House meeting on criticism of President Bush for using the Niger claim in his State of the Union speech.

According to the Washington Post, Grossman has refused to answer questions about the memo. The Post says it is not clear if Grossman actually talked about the memo or mentioned Mrs. Wilson at the meeting.[1]

On 6 July 2003, Richard Armitage asked the head of INR, Carl Ford, to send a copy of the memo to Colin Powell aboard Air Force One.

In Patrick Fitzgerald’s indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby on October 28, 2005, Grossman is the Under Secretary of State mentioned as giving information about Plame to Libby.

It has been suggested by Libby’s legal defense that Grossman is biased because, according to Theodore Wells, Libby’s defense lawyer, Grossman and Wilson went to college and came up through the ranks of the State Department together.[2]

It is worth noting, however, that many people have said that the unnamed “State Department official” that Sibel Edmonds is accusing of blowing an undercover operation designed to identify and plug various US leaks of nuclear secrets is Marc Grossman.

[Incorrigible]

Right! I knew I read about this before on FR.

And of course there’s a Clinton connection to Grossman.

[Melchior]

Never happen. Grossman is a dues-paying member off the Eastern Establishment. Until recently he has been a constant visitor on Fox TV. Thus, he is covered by both the left and the center and that’s what counts in the BostWash corridor.

[tpanther]

“...wonders why American media outlets have greeted the revelations with stunning silence.”

A misunderstanding that the media is hell bent to see this country become another emasculated socilaized Euroweenie.