CIA Calls ABC Report That It Refused To Brief Congress On Fort Hood Suspect Bogus

[sabra]

Source: TPM

The CIA is denying an ABC News report that the agency has refused to brief Congress on any knowledge it has about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army major suspected in the shootings at Fort Hood last week.

"This is a law enforcement investigation, in which other agencies -- not the CIA -- have the lead. Any suggestion that the CIA refused to brief Congress is flat wrong," CIA spokesman George Little tells TPMmuckraker in a statement.

ABC's Richard Esposito, Matthew Cole, and Brian Ross quoted an anonymous senior lawmaker as saying "the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts."

It's not clear if the CIA statement intends a distinction in its reference to "Congress" rather than "intelligence committees." Our calls to the House and Senate intel panels seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/cia_calls_abc_report_that_it_refused_to_brief_cong.php

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Late Update: The phrase "one senior lawmaker" in the ABC story has now been changed to read "Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)" -- though it's not clear whether Hoekstra was the original unnamed lawmaker.

ABC reports:

Hoekstra said he is "absolutely furious" that the house intel committee has been refused an intelligence briefing by the DNI or CIA on Hasan's attempt to reach out to al Qaeda, as first reported by ABC News.

[truthisfreedom]

1. If the CIA comes forward with information about this guy, it's a stain on them two ways...

1] Why didn't they stop it?
2] What are they doing spying on Americans on American soil, especially our military?

[EFerrari]

8. It's a toss up as to who is lying here, ABC, Pete or CIA.

:shrug:

[starroute]

10. I don't believe a word Hoekstra says

He's been part of the Muslims-are-trying-to-infiltrate-your-kindergarten crowd for a long time. They have their own dubious sources of supposed insider information -- some of which they even believe themselves -- and they spread a lot of false stories.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. Ibid. ABC and the CIA...

[phasma ex machina]

14. Deleted

[bluestateguy]

2. I wouldn't brief Congress on anything either

535 egocentric loudmouths, who run toward the cameras at the first sign. Or you tell them something that is supposed to be secretive, and they tell their staffs (20/30 something Washington climbers) who are leakier than a civ, and it's in the Washington Post by morning.

[Crabby Appleton]

7. Exactly

I would hope they would have informed the Army if there was any knowledge of an attempted to contact.

[phasma ex machina]

15. Deleted

[SpiralHawk]

3. Disney News (ABC) is more or less just a Republicon propaganda catapult

like so much of the corporate media -- they serve their own corporate interests, not the citizens of the USA

[jus_the_facts]

4. LIHOP?

:tinfoilhat:

[Soylent Brice]

9. ...

:scared:

[jus_the_facts]

18. It's scary indeed...

...all the way around. :hug:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. What is in the water in Michigan?

First that incredible Stupek amendment, and now Hoekstra roiling the waters?

[Algorem]

6. "We're not hiding anything about Lee Harvey Malik,I mean..."

[thepeopleunited]

12. Exactly.

n/t

[thepeopleunited]

11. Curioser and curioser.

And Hasan is alive and talking to medics. Somehow I don't think that was part of the plan, either.

I imagine these kinds of things were much easier to pull off when Dick and Junior were holding all the cards.

[Edweird]

13. Anwar al Awlaki:the only way a Muslim can justify serving in the U.S. military is if he intends to

"follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal."

"Nidal Hassan (sic) is a hero," Awlaki said. "He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people."

Hasan's family attended the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., where Awlaki was preaching in 2001. Hasan's mother's funeral was held at the mosque on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper, around the same time two 9/11 hijackers worshipped at the mosque and while Awlaki was preaching.

Awlaki is a native-born U.S. citizen who left the United States in 2002, eventually traveling to Yemen. He was released from a Yemeni jail last year and has since gone missing. He is on Yemen's most wanted militant list, according to three Yemeni security officials.

The officials say Awlaki was arrested in 2006 with a small group of suspected al-Qaida militants in the capital San'a. They say he was released more than a year later after signing a pledge he will not break the law or leave the country.

[bobthedrummer]

16. K&R-and don't forget that there are many members of the US "intelligence community"-this stinks...

[phasma ex machina]

17. +1 I must guard against my own proclivity for sweeping generalities.

[Kelvin Mace]

19. My general rule of th thumb in these matters

is I don't believe it until the CIA officially denies it, then I know it must be true.

[boppers]

20. "what, if any, knowledge they had"?

Sort of like "what, if any, knowledge they had" about Saddam and WMD?

Hoekstra's inventing links by claiming people haven't been breifed about them.