CIA Hid Intelligence-Collecting Program from Congress for 8 Years & It's So Bad Panetta Cancelled It

[BlueJessamine]

by Jesselyn Radack

Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 05:23:10 AM PDT

In late May, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta learned of a secret intelligence program that had been hidden from Congress for 8 years. He immediately cancelled the initiative--that's how serious it is--and scheduled closed-door meetings with the relevant congressional oversight committees.

So what is this mystery program? And if this is what Panetta is voluntarily disclosing, how much more is being kept secret? Follow me after the jump.

The classified CIA program is an on-again, off-again attempt to create a new intelligence capability and is related to the collection of information on suspected terrorists, which was instituted after 9/11. That's all I've been able to suss out so far. Ironically, if it was a covert action, it would by law have required a presidential finding and a report to congress.

On June 24, Panetta briefed the House and Senate intelligence committees on the program, and that he had shut it down. And Panetta can hardly be considered a chummy Congressional Dems. He has consistently stood with CIA officers in a long-running dispute with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over a similar allegation, namely, that CIA officials intentionally misled her in 2002 about their interrogations of terrorist suspects.

snip

A former top Bush official said that if the nature of the program could be revealed, then it would be seen as no big deal, which raises the question of why it has been kept under wraps for 8 years from the Congress and the people, and for 4 months from the CIA Director himself.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/10/751953/-CIA-Hid-Intelligence-Collecting-Program-from-Congress-for-8-Years-s-So-Bad-Panetta-Cancelled-It

Related on the web:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

http://www.nytimes.com/...

[rocktivity]

1. I think Nancy Pelosi is owed some apologies, then

I love the smell of vindication in the morning.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[blm]

2. But...CIA operations damaging to this nation and world just don't happen...it's delusional to post

this.....according to some DUers.

Thanks for bringing Jesselyn's post here. Too many DUers ignore their right to open government that is accountable to the people. It's gone on for so long they are actually COMFORTABLE with being ignorant and prefer to stay in the dark.

[BlueJessamine]

5. you are welcome!

:fistbump:

[DCKit]

7. 'Cause they's fightin' terra-ists! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!

Our rights and liberties are acceptable collateral damage - a Republicon Homelander.

[DURHAM D]

3. The speculation I just heard on my tv is that it was likely a secret assassination unit -

that reported only to VP Cheney. In other words, the Congress didn't know about it and the CIA Director did not have control over the unit.

[LiberalFighter]

4. All of GHW Bush's buddies and their buddies in the CIA need to be exterminated

Same goes double for GW Bush's buddies.

[Xipe Totec]

6. I think it was CREEP-II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_Re-elect_the_President

[blm]

9. GHWBush happened to be head of the RNC then, too. That is rarely mentioned in

connection to the illegal covert operations at work then.

[subcomhd]

8. wow

This is getting good.

[chill_wind]

10. I missed all the "technical difficulties" KO was referring to last night

when he was doing a segment on this. i just caught his ironic references at the very end. What happened on his show?

[bertman]

11. During Rep. Holt's interview with KO, the screen went to one of those "technical difficulty"

multi-colored patterns and the sound died, or was distorted, I don't remember which. Of course, it happened right as they were getting into the nitty-gritty of the Pelosi versus CIA topic.

[chill_wind]

12. Heh. :-) Thnx. KO couldn't resist the irony. I trust he'll revisit this topic tonight

sans glitches.