Did the CIA break the law by omitting to brief Congress about a program still in the planning stage – and that never carried out any operations?
NewMajority this week asked a series of high-level officials and former officials for their reaction.
A former senior official in the Bush White House who must be unnamed said: “If the CIA had to brief Congress about everything they thought about, there would be no point of having the CIA; just have Congress do it.”
Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, formerly a senior official at the CIA, said: “We [the CIA] would be irresponsible if we didn’t try to expand the ways we deal with terrorists. I am certain that in the right time people [the CIA] would inform Congress in the proper way.”
Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA), a member of the House intelligence committee, worries that national security has ceased to be the number one priority for many Democrats: “[N]ational security should be a sacred issue not turned into a political football.”
Another former CIA official feels that Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), chairman of the intelligence committee, has politicized these issues and played them out “viciously and publicly.”
The former Bush official expresses concerns that Congress’ political machinations could drive the best and the brightest from the CIA “If they think they will get sued or hauled before Congress” later. Representative Pete Hoekstra concurs, noting that President Obama himself was deterred from hiring the talent he wanted for intelligence positions because of internal Democratic politics: “You get a couple of guys who Obama wanted to appoint but whose names were withdrawn because they are viewed as tainted.”
In Rolf Mowat-Larssen’s view, “Americans should be really worried. Morale is suffering and people are becoming risk averse because they are fearful… In this world we live in today we really need the CIA.”
Congressman Gallegly observes: “morale within the CIA has been affected and many hard working career officers are second-guessing all the political ramifications.”
Congressman Hoekstra regrets that while the Obama administration talks about going forward, in actuality it is looking backward when threatening prosecution of former CIA operatives as well as officials. The former Bush official went further. “President Obama could put an end to these attacks on the Agency. He could do it immediately. Obama under the Constitution is the chief law enforcement officer in government, and Holder works for Obama. “
A semi-retired CIA operative told NewMajority that although Obama’s remarks are supportive, actions speak louder than words. “Obama talks the talk. Let’s see if he will do the walk. Everybody in the Agency is watching and waiting. If there are in fact investigations, there will be a ripple effect. Why should people risk their livelihood and trust any politician? They will become risk averse or leave because the administration does not back them.”
President Obama seems unable to control his attorney general and the Democrats in Congress. In the Intelligence Authorization Bill the Democrats sought a provision that increased the number of Congressmen briefed by the CIA. The former Bush official points out that the more people briefed, the higher the odds of a leak. Representative Hoekstra draws a lesson from his service on the intelligence committee. “The sensitivity of information required that it should be limited to a very, very small number. I don’t think there is any need for anyone else to know about it.” A high-ranking CIA official suggested that the Obama administration push back against congressional pressure by asking Democrats, “don’t you trust the judgment of the Chairman, the Ranking members of the committee, the Speaker, and the minority leader to do the right thing?”
The former Bush official compares today’s bashing of the CIA to the Carter years, when both intelligence and national security were seriously compromised. A semi-retired CIA official dejectedly voiced, “we never get praise. We never are told you guys did a great job. A lot of our successes we can never tell anybody, but when something goes wrong and it becomes public we get crucified for it.”
When NewMajority read that quote to Congressman Hoekstra, he replied that “we are not going to let them (the Democrats) do this to the intelligence community. It’s just totally wrong.”
6 responses so far
1 barker13 // Jul 27, 2009 at 8:16 am
“NewMajority this week asked a series of high-level officials and former officials for their reaction.”
(*HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER*)
Of COURSE “NewMajority did.” I mean, when I think news I think New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC, AP… and of course… New Majority.
(*ROLLING MY EYES*)
“A former senior official in the Bush White House who must be unnamed…”
Of course! (*CHUCKLE*) “Must” remain unnamed. Got it!
Elise. Serious comment: When you start off with the Alice in Wonderland imaginary scenario that you’re a reporter and that NM is… er… “Politico” (only different!)… it distracts from whatever the meat of your… er… story… may be.
Try to keep the delusions of grandeur in check. (*SHRUG*)
BILL
2 Oneon1isto // Jul 27, 2009 at 1:48 pm
So…the Democrats (Congress) are concerned about a program that is loosely connected to the whole wiretapping hullabaloo from last administration. Am I wrong in seeing this as part of the inspection into whether the CIA overstepped their bounds? God forbid the CIA get checked into occasionally.
NOT TO MENTION the Obama administration has been continually derided by the lefties for taking pro-CIA stances concerning torture and the wiretapping scenarios.
The quote from the sitting Republican is meaningless in context, and your other unnamed informants merely trot out the same rhetoric you hear from any time a bureaucrat is asked to pony up some information on what they’re doing.
National security. Give me a break. The meetings will continue to be behind closed doors with only a few members privy to the information. It’s Congress’ job. Let them do it.
3 jreb // Jul 27, 2009 at 2:56 pm
It is insightful to look back in time for perspective on present events. In looking back, I note an article written by Stephen Knott, November 4, 2001 titled “Congressional Oversight and the Crippling of the CIA”. Please note that this article was written short of one month past the horrific attack on the US by Islamic terrorists.
“One utterly predictable response to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington were calls by members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to ‘shake-up’ the Central Intelligence Agency…It would be shortsighted for the intelligence committees to place the blame for this latest intelligence failure exclusively on the CIA’s management. If the committees are interested in genuine reform, they would do well to begin by acknowledging their own culpability in crippling the agency. Under both Democratic and Republican chairmen, the intelligence committees have transformed the CIA into the functional equivalent of the Department of Agriculture, preventing the agency from acting in a shrewd and, as is sometimes necessary, ruthless manner. Any ‘reform’ is doomed to fail if Congress continues to play its role as a partner, if not outright ‘owner,’ in the management of the CIA.”
“.. The sad reality is that a CIA operative with any hope of infiltrating a terrorist cell would need to demonstrate his bona fides in any number of reprehensible ways. These are unpleasant thoughts to contemplate, and they certainly do not fit our conception of the way the world ought to work. But America cannot have it both ways — it cannot expect to deter an Osama bin Laden and keep its hands clean at the same time. Presidents need options short of war to handle this type of threat.”
“.. This most democratic branch of government (Congress) is simply not designed to make the tough and often distasteful decisions that are required of nations competing in the international arena.”
How soon we forget.
4 mdsagemello // Jul 27, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Mdsagemello wrote in support of Elise Cooper Editorial:
Concise answer:
No CIA did not break the Law.
CIA are Honorable Men of United States of America, CIA are Honorable Women of United States of America, Sworn in as Public Servants to serve in CIA, again from what I have read
nothing has been compromised and nothing has been done illegal. Until I read something illegal has been done, this is my Final Answer. Peace. Thank you for reading.
I Promised.
“Did the CIA break the law by omitting to brief Congress about a program still in the planning stage – and that never carried out any operations?’
5 balconesfault // Jul 27, 2009 at 4:57 pm
“President Obama seems unable to control his attorney general ”
As I understand the Attorney General’s job … isn’t this a good thing?
6 barker13 // Jul 27, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Re: Balconesfault // Jul 27, 2009 at 4:57 pm –
On points… score one for Balc.
(*WINK*)
BILL
* Don’t get me wrong, I despise Holder… I’m just saying that as a matter of Constitutional theory… Balc is absolutely correct.
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