|
Justice Dept. Mulls Probe Into CIA Leak
By KATHERINE SHRADER
Associated Press Writer
11/09/05 WASHINGTON (AP) - At the CIA's request, the Justice
Department is weighing whether to open a criminal investigation into
the leak of possibly classified information on secret prisons to The
Washington Post.
A story the newspaper published on Nov. 2 touched on a number of
sensitive national security issues, including the existence of
secret CIA detention centers for suspected terrorists in Eastern
European democracies.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the
issue deals with classified information, said the CIA's general
counsel made the referral to the Justice Department shortly after
the story appeared last week.
The department will decide whether to initiate a criminal
investigation. The leak investigation into the disclosure of covert
CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity came about through the same
referral procedure and led to a five-count indictment against the
vice president's now former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby.
Post spokesman Eric Grant said Tuesday the newspaper had no comment.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sidestepped questions about
possible secret prisons, saying the United States was in a
``different kind of war'' and had an obligation to defend itself.
``We, our allies, others who have experienced attacks, have to find
a way to protect our people,'' said Rice, who would not confirm the
existence of secret prisons.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., called for a congressional
investigation into the disclosure of the existence of the secret
prisons.
If the Post story is accurate, ``such an egregious disclosure could
have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences,
and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our
homeland from terrorist attacks,'' the lawmakers wrote while asking
for a joint leak probe by the Senate and House intelligence
committees.
The letter was written to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat
Roberts, R-Kan., and his House counterpart, Intelligence Committee
Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.
Concerning the leak of information about prisons, the letter asked,
``What is the actual and potential damage done to the national
security of the United States and our partners in the global war on
terror?''
The newspaper's story said the CIA has been hiding and interrogating
some of its most important al-Qaida captives at a Soviet-era
compound in Eastern Europe, part of a covert prison system set up by
the agency four years ago that at various times has included sites
in eight countries. Those countries, the Post said, include several
democracies.
The allegations prompted denials from governments in the former
Soviet bloc. Such prisons, European officials say, would violate the
continent's human rights principles.
``If the leadership determines that we should investigate the leak,
it would be much like the 9/11'' commission, Roberts said. The
Intelligence Committee chairman did not dispute a reporter's
suggestion that a probe would raise First Amendment press-freedom
issues.
Such an investigation would become ``very difficult when you're
getting into matters like this,'' the senator said.
Roberts also said he would support hearings into the importance of
maintaining a covert agent's cover, a topic triggered by the leak of
Plame's identity, eight days after her husband accused the Bush
administration of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the
Iraq threat.
Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the House and Senate
committees with normal jurisdiction should conduct any hearings, not
a bicameral committee as suggested in the letter of the two
Republican leaders.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said any such joint
investigation should also investigate possible manipulation of
prewar intelligence on Iraq.
``If Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Frist are finally ready to
join Democrats' demands for an investigation of possible abuses of
classified information, they must direct the House and Senate
Intelligence Committees to investigate all aspects of that issue,''
Pelosi said.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said
Republicans ``should be focused on the illegality of these prisons,
not the revelation of the illegality.''
Associated Press Writer Pete Yost contributed to this report.
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
Translate
this page
(In accordance with Title 17
U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes.
Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the
originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House
endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) |
