At any rate, here's one of them I don't think I've posted anything about before...
Information about a criminal investigation of possible intelligence leaks by Sen. Richard Shelby [R-AL] was referred to the Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday...
The information is related to a leak of intercepted al-Qaida communications just prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
...The investigation centers on the leak of highly classified intelligence related to al-Qaida communications in June 2002, primarily to CNN.
...The criminal investigation of Shelby (R-Ala.), who no longer serves on the committee, remains open. But the fact that the matter has been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee indicates that the action will now shift to Capitol Hill and that a criminal indictment is not likely unless and until additional information comes to light...
Shelby has in the past denied that he ever "knowingly compromised classified information" and his staff told reporters on Saturday that they should refer to the previous statement on the issue he made earlier this year.
MSNBC article
The information is related to a leak of intercepted al-Qaida communications just prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
...The investigation centers on the leak of highly classified intelligence related to al-Qaida communications in June 2002, primarily to CNN.
...The criminal investigation of Shelby (R-Ala.), who no longer serves on the committee, remains open. But the fact that the matter has been referred to the Senate Ethics Committee indicates that the action will now shift to Capitol Hill and that a criminal indictment is not likely unless and until additional information comes to light...
Shelby has in the past denied that he ever "knowingly compromised classified information" and his staff told reporters on Saturday that they should refer to the previous statement on the issue he made earlier this year.
Sometimes people who aren't "in the know", who don't have all the information, don't realize the import of the information they might have. I'm not sure that someone on the Senate Intelligence Committee - indeed, the chairman of that committee, as Shelby was at the time - fits in that category.
CNN reported on June 20 that in one communication intercepted by the National Security Agency on Sept. 10, 2001, an individual was overheard saying, "The match begins tomorrow" while in another that same day, a second person said, "Tomorrow is zero hour." In both, the speakers were in Afghanistan and were speaking to individuals in Saudi Arabia. The intercept was not found until Sept. 12, 2001.
The intercept was from a communications channel the United States had identified as a key communications link for al-Qaida operatives.
The intercept was from a communications channel the United States had identified as a key communications link for al-Qaida operatives.
How is it that this intercept was not found until September 12? Was the NSA sloppy? Did they truly not believe Clinton's NSA information that al-Qa'ida was a major and imminent threat? Did somebody intentionally scuttle the intercepts? I haven't read the 9/11 report, but I'm going to make a wild guess that it didn't come up with a finding of intention.
Shelby "leaked" the information in June 2002. The investigation is in part due to the White House (and the CIA) being extremely pissed that the intelligence incompetence (intentional scuttling?) was made public.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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