Ex-C.I.A. Officer First To Face Prison For A Leak

Ex-Officer Is First In C.I.A. To Face Prison For A Leak -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Looking back, John C. Kiriakou admits he should have known better. But when the F.B.I. called him a year ago and invited him to stop by and “help us with a case,” he did not hesitate.

In his years as a C.I.A. operative, after all, Mr. Kiriakou had worked closely with F.B.I. agents overseas. Just months earlier, he had reported to the bureau a recruiting attempt by someone he believed to be an Asian spy.

“Anything for the F.B.I.,” Mr. Kiriakou replied.

Only an hour into what began as a relaxed chat with the two agents — the younger one who traded Pittsburgh Steelers talk with him and the senior investigator with the droopy eye — did he begin to realize just who was the target of their investigation.

Read more ....

My Comment: Ex-CIA officer John C. Kiriakou is right .... he should have known better .... but ignorance of the law is no excuse. Even if you are the best officer in the agency .... if you break the law there are going to be consequences. John C. Kiriakou knew that he was breaking the law .... hence the punishment. But 30 months in jail .... he will disagree but from my perspective his punishment could have been much worse.

Will The White House Stop Leaking National Security Secrets?

GOP Senators To White House: Stop Leaking National Security Secrets -- Washington Free Beacon

A group of Republican senators is demanding to know why the White House continues to leak to the press highly classified information that “stands in direct contradiction to the information briefed to congressional oversight committees,” according to a letter sent Friday to President Barack Obama.

Senior Obama administration officials have taken to the press in recent weeks to provide anonymous and often highly classified information to reporters in an effort to bolster the president’s national security credentials following a deadly attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, the lawmakers claim.

Read more ....

My Comment: The cynic in me tells me that this is the tea kettle telling the coffee pot that it is black. But the GOP senators do have a point .... in all my years of following national security issues, I have never seen the quantity and quality of the leaks that are coming from this White House. From Wikileaks to intel on the Bin Laden raid .... this has been a gold mine for someone like me who likes to read about secrets. But what has been hilarious with all of these leaks is the media's response .... consistently saying the same thing .... that no one is leaking to them, but the info that they are getting is through hard work and analysis.

Leaks From Washington Are Endangering Lives In Libya

Issa’s Benghazi Document Dump Exposes Several Libyans Working With The U.S. -- Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) compromised the identities of several Libyans working with the U.S. government and placed their lives in danger when he released reams of State Department communications Friday, according to Obama administration officials.

Issa posted 166 pages of sensitive but unclassified State Department communications related to Libya on the committee's website afternoon as part of his effort to investigate security failures and expose contradictions in the administration's statements regarding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Amb. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

Read more ....

My Comment: The Republicans are also accusing the Democrats of endangering lives. What's my take .... both sides are right.

Current And Former U.S. Soldiers Warned Not To Publicize Secrets

Adm. William H. McRaven. Wikipedia

Adm. McRaven Threatens Legal Action Against Troops Telling Secrets, After Raid Book Announced -- Washington Post/AP

WASHINGTON — Special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven warned his troops, current and former, that he would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause fellow forces harm.

“We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate,” the four-star commander wrote, in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community Thursday, and obtained by The Associated Press.

Read more ....

Update: No Easy Week for Outed Navy SEAL Author -- Atlantic Wire

My Comment: The U.S. military through Adm. McRaven is making it very clear that they will use legal means to go after current AND former soldiers who reveal secrets to the public .... and in my opinion the Admiral is right. But I wished the Pentagon also showed the same bluntness when it comes to their political bosses and their long history of leaking military operations and secrets.