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January 01, 2006

Schumer signals Dem strategy ...

... on NSA leaks

WASHINGTON - The investigation into leaks about a domestic spying program should determine whether the motivation was damaging security or revealing a potentially illegal activity, a Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday.

"There are differences between felons and whistleblowers, and we ought to wait 'til the investigation occurs to decide what happened," said Sen. Charles Schumer.

Really, Chuck? So the new goal posts are not whether or not a law was broken and actual damage was done, but only if there is proof that the leakers did want to damage National security?

Where have you been then vis a vis Scooter Libby, who was not indicted for either leaking OR telling the truth about kerfluffle Plame's involvement in Wilson's lies? Isn't Libby nothing more than a mere whistleblower?

As Bluto points out:

There is a process for Federal employees to become officially recognized as whistleblowers through the US Office of the Inspector General. Recognition by the OIG protects the employee from retaliatory employment actions, and triggers an OIG investigation of the charges made by the whistleblower.

It's not enough to simply declare oneself a whistleblower. And whistleblower disclosures are never sanctioned to outside agents, including and especially the Press.

Schumer seems to have an eye towards the machinations of the Gray Lady and Capt. Ed exposes the strained lengths the NYTimes is going to in order to claim "crime" without offering any substance.

Related:

Michelle Malkin highlights that even the NYTimes ombudsman Byron Calame is being studiously ignored by his bosses.
Jeff Goldstein discusses the manipulative and dishonest way the "Mainstream" media has framed this story.

And President Bush thinks it is reasonable

"If somebody from al-Qaida is calling you, we'd like to know why."
I believe we need to question the "A"CLU why they think it is unreasonable.

Posted by Darleen at January 1, 2006 11:26 AM

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