Brennan: "I apologize for the actions of CIA officers"
August 13, 2015 7:52 PM Subscribe
While the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence was preparing its torture report, the CIA spied on their computers and launched a spurious criminal inquiry against their staff (previously). The CIA and its director, John Brennan, with the support of the White House, have taken a brazen public stance, denying any wrongdoing in directly spying on their nominal overseer. But documents obtained by Jason Leopold and VICE News show that the CIA had prepared a written apology for the spying, which they ultimately decided not to issue (was the White House involved in this decision?).
Leopold's reporting has lots of good background on the story of the torture report and the CIA's response, told with newly released CIA documents:
Leopold's reporting has lots of good background on the story of the torture report and the CIA's response, told with newly released CIA documents:
'If you are good with this and notify me tonight,' the CIA employee said, 'I will proceed to drink enough alcohol to become comfortably numb.'Leopold has been described as a "FOIA terrorist" in government communiqués. Profile of him at the New York Times.
"JEB! says..." What, is he a one-man musical now?
Anyway, I digress. I was wondering how to even formulate a FOIA request to turn up a draft document like this, then I read the VICE article:
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 PM on August 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
Anyway, I digress. I was wondering how to even formulate a FOIA request to turn up a draft document like this, then I read the VICE article:
After VICE News received the documents, the CIA contacted us and said Brennan's draft letter had been released by mistake. The agency asked that we refrain from posting it.Wow. "Hey, clerical error over guys, can you keep that one under your hat? Thanks."
We declined the CIA's request.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 PM on August 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
We apologized to some folks.
posted by thelonius at 9:01 PM on August 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 9:01 PM on August 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
"Leopold has been described as a "FOIA terrorist" in government communiqués."
Yikes!
I mean, at first, it might be 'haha, that's idiotic of them, and they are fully of silly hyperbole' until you think about what the government does to people they slap that label on (best case scenario: watch you, your friends, family for ever; worst case scenario: fucking torture/assasinate you, your friends, your family).
posted by el io at 10:43 PM on August 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Yikes!
I mean, at first, it might be 'haha, that's idiotic of them, and they are fully of silly hyperbole' until you think about what the government does to people they slap that label on (best case scenario: watch you, your friends, family for ever; worst case scenario: fucking torture/assasinate you, your friends, your family).
posted by el io at 10:43 PM on August 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
"JEB! says..." What, is he a one-man musical now?
Jeb - the musical!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:58 PM on August 13, 2015
Jeb - the musical!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:58 PM on August 13, 2015
The question linked in parentheses "was the White House involved" is purely speculative and the accusations from the right that this is "Richard Nixon stuff" are completely misguided. The CIA spying on the Senate is big stuff and raises serious questions about separation of powers and executive overreach. A competent, man-in-charge president like Richard Nixon would have had his dirty fingerprints all over such a scandal like this. Nixon would have been at the center of it.
That Mr. Obama OTOH seems scarcely aware of what his CIA has been up to and even less interested to become involved makes me curious what this president does with all of his free time?
posted by three blind mice at 1:51 AM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
That Mr. Obama OTOH seems scarcely aware of what his CIA has been up to and even less interested to become involved makes me curious what this president does with all of his free time?
posted by three blind mice at 1:51 AM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Conjecture is never helpful without context, subtext though, is the handmaiden to a great political cartoon.
If Nixon were alive, zombienixon would feel vindicated.
posted by clavdivs at 2:07 AM on August 14, 2015
If Nixon were alive, zombienixon would feel vindicated.
posted by clavdivs at 2:07 AM on August 14, 2015
Leopold has been described as a "FOIA terrorist" in government communiqués.
I'm probably stating the obvious here, but at this point in history the world 'terrorist' has clearly lost all meaning.
2001: People who take over commercial aircraft and kill thousands = Terrorist
2015: Somebody who submits paperwork = Terrorist
posted by LastOfHisKind at 5:13 AM on August 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
I'm probably stating the obvious here, but at this point in history the world 'terrorist' has clearly lost all meaning.
2001: People who take over commercial aircraft and kill thousands = Terrorist
2015: Somebody who submits paperwork = Terrorist
posted by LastOfHisKind at 5:13 AM on August 14, 2015 [5 favorites]
The question linked in parentheses "was the White House involved" is purely speculative and the accusations from the right that this is "Richard Nixon stuff" are completely misguided. The CIA spying on the Senate is big stuff and raises serious questions about separation of powers and executive overreach. A competent, man-in-charge president like Richard Nixon would have had his dirty fingerprints all over such a scandal like this. Nixon would have been at the center of it.
That Mr. Obama OTOH seems scarcely aware of what his CIA has been up to and even less interested to become involved makes me curious what this president does with all of his free time?
I read this very different from you.
What's really changed from the "bad old days" of the '70s -- the days of "Richard Nixon stuff," and the whole range of police and intelligence abuses that prompted the Church hearings? I think the answer is basically:
1) the intelligence apparatus has all but mastered subverting and circumventing the post-Church controls and oversights,
2) the public doesn't seem to care as much, and
3) top decision-makers are smarter about insulating themselves.
Obama is a president who has
1) appointed a top personal confidant (Brennan) to D/CIA,
2) repeatedly covered for the CIA in managing its only major recent scandal (the detention and torture programs), and
3) vastly increased the power and prestige of the CIA (most visibly by expanding and defending the drone program).
To say Obama is asleep on the job of course would not vindicate him even if it was true. But if you look at the history of the past few years, I think it's really tough to conclude that he is not paying attention to the CIA. And this is an issue where Sen. Feinstein, a reliable White House ally and one of the most powerful senators, has called him out. I really doubt he is unaware of what's happening.
posted by grobstein at 9:55 AM on August 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
That Mr. Obama OTOH seems scarcely aware of what his CIA has been up to and even less interested to become involved makes me curious what this president does with all of his free time?
I read this very different from you.
What's really changed from the "bad old days" of the '70s -- the days of "Richard Nixon stuff," and the whole range of police and intelligence abuses that prompted the Church hearings? I think the answer is basically:
1) the intelligence apparatus has all but mastered subverting and circumventing the post-Church controls and oversights,
2) the public doesn't seem to care as much, and
3) top decision-makers are smarter about insulating themselves.
Obama is a president who has
1) appointed a top personal confidant (Brennan) to D/CIA,
2) repeatedly covered for the CIA in managing its only major recent scandal (the detention and torture programs), and
3) vastly increased the power and prestige of the CIA (most visibly by expanding and defending the drone program).
To say Obama is asleep on the job of course would not vindicate him even if it was true. But if you look at the history of the past few years, I think it's really tough to conclude that he is not paying attention to the CIA. And this is an issue where Sen. Feinstein, a reliable White House ally and one of the most powerful senators, has called him out. I really doubt he is unaware of what's happening.
posted by grobstein at 9:55 AM on August 14, 2015 [4 favorites]
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posted by notyou at 8:22 PM on August 13, 2015 [2 favorites]