WAXMAN-I Have Received Information That WH Is LYING About Handling Of Classified Information

[kpete]

Chairman Waxman Writes to White House Counsel Fielding on Security Violations
June 26th, 2007 by Jesse Lee

Chairman Henry Waxman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who produced the initial report on Vice President Cheney’s disregard for rules governing the handling of classified information, has written has a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding indicating that contrary to the recent claims of White House spokesperson Dana Perino, there is evidence that the White House has repeatedly failed to investigate security violations, take corrective action following breaches, and appropriately protect classified information.


June 26, 2007

The Honorable Fred Fielding
Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Fielding:

Last week, I wrote the Vice President about evidence that he violated Executive Order 12958 by blocking the National Archives from conducting security inspections in his office. In response, White House spokesperson Dana Perino said: “The president and the vice president are complying with all the rules and regulations regarding the handling of classified material and making sure that it is safeguarded and protected.” She asserted that the only part of Executive Order 12958 that was not being followed by the White House and the Vice President’s office was the “small portion” giving oversight responsibilities to the Information Security Oversight Office of the National Archives.

I have received information that casts doubt on these assertions. There is evidence that both the White House and the Office of the Vice President have flaunted multiple requirements for protecting classified information, not just the section related to the responsibilities of the Information Security Oversight Office. According to current and former White House security personnel who have contacted my staff, White House practices have been dangerously inadequate with respect to investigating security violations, taking corrective action following breaches, and physically securing classified information.

I have received information that:

• White House security officials have been blocked from inspecting West Wing offices for compliance with procedures for handling classified information. The White House has its own security office that functions independently of the Information Security Oversight Office in the National Archives. According to several security officials who have worked in this White House office, the Bush White House blocked the White House security officers from conducting unannounced inspections of the West Wing. This is a departure from the practices of the prior administration, which allowed these inspections.

• The White House regularly ignored security breaches. The security officers described repeated instances in which security breaches were reported to the White House Security Office by Secret Service or CIA agents, but were never investigated. In one case, the White House Security Office took no action after receiving a report that a White House official left classified materials unattended in a hotel room. In numerous instances, reports that White House officials left classified information on their desks went uninvestigated.

• The President’s top political advisor received a renewal of his security clearance despite presidential directives calling for the denial of security clearances for officials who misrepresent their involvement in security leaks. Under guidelines issued by President Bush, security clearances should not be renewed for individuals who deny their role in the release of classified information, regardless of whether the disclosure was intentional or negligent. Contrary to this guidance, the White House Security Office renewed the security clearance for Karl Rove in late 2006.

• The White House has condoned widespread mismanagement at the White House Security Office. According to the White House security officers, the White House allowed the White House Security Office to be run by managers who ignored basic security procedures and allowed other White House officials to do so also.

The Oversight Committee has been seeking to interview or take the deposition of White House officials with knowledge of these security matters since I wrote to former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card about them in April. While I do not question your good faith in seeking to negotiate the terms of these interviews, further delay would not be in the interests of the nation. I am therefore writing to advise you that unless we are able to schedule these interviews promptly, I will bring before the Committee on Thursday, June 28, a motion to subpoena the relevant officials for depositions.

more at:
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=517

[helderheid]

1. Go Hank!

[leftyladyfrommo]

2. Yes!

I keep thinking that at some point someone is going to half to pay attention.

[cal04]

3. Go Waxman!

:kick:
we know they lie, the part is catching them and making it stick

[nradisic]

4. Yesss!

It is time to stop playing games and time for oversight, investigations, impeachment and prosecutions. The Constitution and our nation's future is at stake.

[senseandsensibility]

5. The last sentence is pretty good

but, as usual, what're they gonna do when the subpoenas are ignored?

[redqueen]

7. We shall see...

I doubt many of us are getting too hopeful. We've had our expectations lowered sufficiently...

[Pharaoh]

19. Send in Marines

To arrest the motherfuckers I would hope!

[PurpleChez]

64. Smile politely. I don't hope for much more anymore

[Beelzebud]

6. Do something about it. I dare you.

[porphyrian]

8. Good, get 'em. - n/t

[Lochloosa]

9. WHAT! NO WAY! A SUBPOENA!

I am underwhelmed.

[progressoid]

10. Armed with his trusty gavel and subpoenas, who can stop...THE WAXMAN!!!

Oh. Yeah, I forgot. They'll just ignore the subpoenas.

WAXMAN AWAY!!!

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

26. Oh, yeah. "THEY" will ignore them. What do you propose be done about it?

Seriously. Let's think about what can be done to end the tyranny WITHOUT becoming another form of tyranny.

[progressoid]

37. I don't understand.

"...end the tyranny WITHOUT becoming another form of tyranny." What is the other form of tyranny to which you refer?

[MsMagnificent]

47. So upholding the law is Democratic Party 'Tyranny'?

Jumpin' Jeebus on a pogo stick! Who knew?
:banghead:

[exlrrp]

66. Get real: Bushco can and will tell Waxman to bite it

All they have to do is run out the clock
There is not caped masked man here. So far waxman has done nothing but write letters. When's he actually going to subpoena these characters so the public can see them in the light of day? So far, Waxman has been a big disapppointment if youre hoping that all or any of Bushco's transgressions get aired.
Stop congratulating him as if he's actually done something and and tell him to get off his ass and actually do something.

[progressoid]

72. Umm...it was supposed to be what they call 'tongue-in-cheek'

[Richard Steele]

11. More subpoenas. The White House is gonna have to order more TRASH CANS.

I just can't get excited about this subpoena business anymore.

[L. Coyote]

13. What a crock! This "subpoena business" only just started last week. Have you heard

the term, time. Can you give the process more than several days to work? or to not work?

[Individualist]

15. Condisleeza's subpoena was issued April 25

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/25/rice.subpoena/

[L. Coyote]

20. And the Committee keeps postponing the hearing,

Check out how busy the Committee is: http://oversight.house.gov/

===============
Investigations
Iraq Intelligence and Nuclear Evidence
http://oversight.house.gov/investigations.asp?ID=204

Rep. Waxman and other members of Congress have been seeking information on the
intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq, including the Administration’s repeated
use of fabricated claims regarding Iraq’s attempts to procure uranium from Niger.

Chronology
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Hearing on White House Use of Iraq War Intelligence Postponed
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1356

In letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former CIA Director George Tenet, Chairman Waxman explains that the previously scheduled hearing on the White House’s use of pre-war intelligence regarding Iraq’s nuclear program has been postponed while the Committee continues to interview senior government officials and review documents being provided by the CIA and State Department.

.........MORE.........

[jtrockville]

46. Does this mean they're getting the documents they wanted?

[librechik]

21. that subpoena is historical in nature.

Therefore We will ignore it.

[warren pease]

12. Another piece of paper for the round file...

Until these criminals are compelled to respond to a congressional subpoena -- if necessary by a large, well-armed contingent of US marshalls bearing shackles and handcuffs -- Waxman, Conyers et al are just pissing up a rope.

Worse yet, Rove and Cheney are laughing their asses off and slamming back single malts while watching C-span as some first-term House democrat gives an impassioned speech about the administration's contempt for the rule of law -- to an empty chamber.

Drag them in. Carry them in. Make them crawl in chains. Roll them in on a hand truck. Mount their feet in cement and bring them in with wheelbarrows. Grab them by their neckties like dogs on leashes. Drop them from the rotunda onto a giant trampoline. Put them in a stretch Hummer and drive them up the center aisle for all I care.

Just force the sons of bitches to honor the subpoenas, get them under oath, sit them down at an open hearing, record every word, and fire away. That should at least wipe the smirk off Rove's face for awhile.


wp

[KoKo]

14. Blackberries and Cell Phones allowed into the "Sensitive Compartmented Info Facility!!!

Mismanagement of the White House Security Office

Another area of concern involves the management of the White House Security Office itself. The current and former security officials reported that James Knodell, who until recently was the Director of the White House Security Office, and Ken Greeson, the Deputy Director, routinely violated basic security guidelines. They also said that these officials were poor managers who were loath to assert authority over White House security practices or to take actions that could embarrass White House officials.

One example cited by the officials involved security procedures in the White House sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). The security officers said that Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson habitually brought their Blackberry devices and cell phones into the SCIF in the White House Security Office in violation of the rules. The officials said that Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson also allowed others, such as visiting White House personnel, to bring their Blackberries and cell phones into the SCIF. According to the officials, these improper practices were allowed to continue even after security officers repeatedly informed Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson that the practices violated security rules and set a poor example.

According to the security officers, the poor management and bad examples set by Mr. Knodell and Mr. Greeson caused extreme frustration and plummeting morale among White House security officers, resulting in the departure of more than half of the White House security officers within the last year.

[wryter2000]

16. Love ya. Waxman

But it's flout, not flaunt.

[TahitiNut]

24. One of the 'problems' with a "Living Language" is that ...

... definitions will follow usage, even for what may be deemed misuses. While it's hard for most of us to shake our elementary school training that the arbiter of 'correct usage' is the dictionary, the hierarchy is pretty clear: when people use and (mis)understand the English language in changing ways, the English dictionary will follow. Prescriptivism in English usage has reared its ugly head from time to time over the last 350 years, but the heritage of usage primacy still predominates.

I think of "ain't" as the iconic example over the last 200 years. It's had its own little battleground. I also enjoy the "who/whom" anal retentivism ... being a "Who's Whom" proponent myself.



Disclaimer: I'm about as far from an expert on 'proper' usage as anyone can be - particularly in punctuation.

[wryter2000]

42. True, but

they have two entirely different meanings. It's like confusing right with write.

[MetaTrope]

50. MSM did the same thing with Michael Moore's SICKO interview at Cannes

Associated Press quoted him as saying Bush "flaunts the Constitution", which I took as a subtle move to subconsciously invert the message. Variety's version of the same interview properly used "flouts".

Unfortunately, given this is a written document from Waxman's office, the error is on him.

[On the Road]

59. Actually, Flout an Flaunt Can be Used Interchangeably

The primary definition of each one is the secondary definition of the other.

[kpete]

29. he is one of the best

[tbyg52]

32. Maybe they wave 'em around before they stomp on 'em. nt

[wryter2000]

43. That must be it. n/t

:thumbsup:

[Joe Chi Minh]

44. I made the same mistake recently. It didn't sound quite right. Probably didn't to

Waxman either. But you spend a certain amount of time trying to remember the right word and it becomes impractical to linger any longer. The sense is close enough. But it's interesting you picked it up.

[aquart]

58. The sound is close, the meaning isn't.

Gives you an idea how the brain is organized.

[Joe Chi Minh]

67. Disagree. When people flout some rule or law, they 'ipso facto' flaunt

their insouciance.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

17. Whew, brother, you know they're gettin' REAL paranoid now!

I'll bet all the staff, any security or FBI or CIA or et al personnel are under harsh survelliance!

On the other hand, this evidence most likely arrives totally from the Scooter case.

STILL!!!

[Javaman]

18. Okay then, what do you plan to do Mr. Waxman that will prevent them from ignoring you? nt

[Atman]

22. Boy oh boy, are we really gonna DO NOTHING ABOUT IT now!

*yawn*

Hold a hearing, Hank. Issue a subpoena. Then tell us why THIS is anything new. They'll ignore them just like everything else, and you guys in Congress will continue to let them get away with it.

Enough with the press releases, Hank. Fucking DO SOMETHING.

.

[L. Coyote]

23. Do we need another 500 Congress members?

Just to handle the load of investigations? :rofl: I know this has to be framed as humor!

Seriously, look at the workload and key issues of just Waxman's Oversight Committee. Geeeezzz!

The Committees may need a lot more staff, for sure, just to keep tabs on Bushco, and keep things moving fast enough for all the critics on DU.

http://oversight.house.gov/

[LaPera]

25. How is BushCo going to do a character assassination of the great Waxman? Just as they do

everyone who disagrees or exposes them publicly...it gets Cheney's ego anger & wrath...as he showed he will even treasonously expose an undercover patriot CIA agent...because her husband wouldn't go along and lie for the sick greedy republican bastards!!

[dkofos]

27. Has a rock been turned over yet that didn't show this bunch was

breaking the law??

[BattyDem]

28. What part of "high crimes and misdemeanors" doesn't Congress understand?

If they can't even protect classified information, then the ENTIRE COUNTRY is in danger! How is that not a crime???

:banghead: :grr: :eyes: :grr: :banghead:

[NastyDiaper]

34. Maybe what part of Congress does not understand "high crimes and misdemeanors"?

I have to think that a good percent of the republican members will stop blocking.

Then finally the impasse will break.

[Kurovski]

30. K&R. (nt)

[Cant trust em]

31. Transparency in govt. should be an issue in 08

This administration seems to have no scruples when it comes to what information we as citizens have access to. They'll withhold information we need, declassify confidential documents for political purposes, blow off congressional subpoenas at their whim. Dems should make it clear that when they're in office it will stand for political accountability and transparency in government. The level of secrecy that this White House operate with is totally unacceptable.

[SharonRB]

33. Go, Henry. Go, Henry.

:yourock:

[Supersedeas]

35. Peppy Perino should do pressers in a perky cheerleading outfit--take her more seriously then.

[Uncle Joe]

36. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread kpete.

[HooptieWagon]

38. I'd be more impressed with the threat of subpoenas

if Congress would follow through. Like say, have the capital police arrest * and Duck! at the State of the Union Address... Anyone wanna bet Congress's approval ratings would see a 60% boost?

edit: spelling correction.

[wildbilln864]

39. Thanks kpete! I always know....

your posts will be of most importance! So tired of the trivia threads! Our country is being dismantled!
but :yourock:
K&R!

[WestMichRad]

40. They're lying? I'm ASTONISHED!!

How DARE these Congresscritters impune their integrity? The NERVE of them! The White House saints don't lie, they merely reinterpret the rules to suit their importance, er, needs! Can't ya just see their halos?

But then, this misAdministration's modus operandi seems to be, "reinterpreting laws in our own best interest* ", doesn't it?

* (without any forethought to possible consequences)

What a bunch of deliberately deceitful, conniving bastards. If the actions of these clowns has not met the threshold of what is an impeachable offense, then the impeachment provision of the Constitution no longer has any relevance.

[Amonester]

55. Here's 1 halo the entire world (minus the R-W morans) see:

(can't find any for dic-k head, yet.)

[Kokonoe]

61. But just think about it, won't the dems get called some name

on the radio for stepping over there bounds. No wonder they won't stand up for the country. :sarcasm:

[conscious evolution]

41. A case for Treason?

Is that what Waxman is doing?
It strikes me that there has to be a reason why the e-mails are the avenue being taken to bring down bushco and cheney.With the focus being on security violations treason is the only thing that fits.

This is definitely not about high crimes and misdemeanors.If it was some other crime would be the focus of investigation.No doubt there are plenty to choose from and many are slam-dunk cases.

I think Waxman is going for treason charges.

[Joe Chi Minh]

45. K&R

[ChiciB1]

48. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah... Words & More Words! I'm NOT Holding My

breath to see if anything will be done! Sorry, I'm now a certified cynic and have acquired a "tin-ear" when I hear more of this stuff! I guess we still have "free speech" but that ain't getting the job done! High crimes & misdemeanors have been committed over and over and over and very few have been held accountable for much of anything!

It's really a shame though! So okay... one more time... LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE! WOW, guess that will fix it all!

[downindixie]

49. Write all the letters you want to

Until action is taken nothing matters!

[Divine Discontent]

51. sounds like grounds for impeachment ----- AGAIN

and again, and again...

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <-- top 08 stickers

[lonestarnot]

52. Just unfuckingbelievable!

Unfuckingbelievable!

[Divine Discontent]

63. I know...

are we in a twilight zone world??? if this were the 90's do they not think the repubs woulda impeached him out of office, since they tried over the sex scandal? this stuff is antiamerican... and yet the Dems aren't outraged enough to all be saying in unison, with maybe a vote here or there against it, that they're DONE with this embarrassment of an administration!

much like a shirt in my shop - "bush's drag queen name is Miss Management!" - cuz if he gave a damn, he woulda asked Cheney to step down years ago, but he's too stupid to know he's being drug down into a huge mess by the real decider!

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- top 08 stickers and anti-shrub stuff

[bdamomma]

53. Waxman working overtime for us, he deserves some extra funds

maybe from cheney?? if he feels he is not in the executive branch!!

[everydayis911]

54. Cheney Must be

Shaking in his boots :nopity: And the band played on. As the USA sinks like the Titanic all they have are threats. How many times must we get teased to the point of thinking anyday now?????
Don't they know it's their DUTY to enforce the law. Well they can always attack us again and all the investigations will be on hold. Or Darth Cheney will go the way of Kenny Boy Lay and both of them will sip pina colada's on the beach. When is Larry Flynt's list coming out anyway? Perhaps we'll find Darth's name on it.

[Independent_Liberal]

56. Yup!

Go get em Henry!

:patriot:

[lovuian]

57. Well its ABOUT TIME!!!

Now subpoena's and whitehouse ignoring them

[upi402]

60. could THIS be the last straw?

I was sure at the Downing Street Minutes stage.


Wha happuned???:dunce:

[Catherine Vincent]

62. Not too late to recommend!

:kick:

[lpbk2713]

65. K&R

BushCo is a band of thieves and liars. The people need to know.

[ZENmud]

68. ZENmud Rule # 1 "what am I missing?"

"If you're reading/watching/hearing ANYTHING through the MSM, understand what you're not being provided."

Means: if Paris Hilton takes 4min of a 22min newscast, what could your TV/radio have covered in the meantime?

The lies, the corruption are now even traced back to Lincoln, as far as Republicans go...
www.consortiumnews.com/2007/062107.html

What it boils out as, is that the American Dream has been mythic since the beginning.

So 'getting our government back!' begats the question "of which government do we refer?"

America should vote itself out of existence, becoming Five New States: Atlantica, Pacifica, South (something) North Central, and Mountain West (pick your own names)

Destroy the nukes, give up on a losing foreign policy paradigm that is outmoded and petrolcentric.

Whining won't save this dying patient...

crystelZENmud.blogspot.com

ZENmud

[G_Leo_Criley]

69. thank you henry waxman! k&r!

:patriot:

:kick:

glc

[ZaiusNation]

70. Justice League of America Superhero Profile: Representative Henry Waxman

Justice League of America Superhero Profile: Representative Henry Waxman

[loyalkydem]

71. Wow

he looks rather hot in those tights. Woo hoo.

I can hear Perry White now

Fashion, is that a new suite he wears
Health, is he using a toothpaste whitener
Entertainment, is he seeing anyone
Come on people> The story is Waxman

LOL Sorry couldn't resist.