Treason BS: Bush HIMSELF Disclosed Financial Tracking Program 9/24/01 >>

[The Cleaner]

I've been trying to get this message out to everyone I can. I've been sending it all around the country in the form of a Letter to the Editor, but nobody wants to print it. Even after I spoke with a couple of reporters, still nobody found this story newsworthy, and I'm befuddled as to why.

That's where DU comes in. :hi:

I wrote a note to Senator John Cornyn on the matter, who less than promptly replied with a form email on how we need to prosecute those who disclose secret intelligence information. Cornyn said:

Thank you for contacting me regarding media outlets that choose to publish vital national security information. I appreciate having the benefit of your thoughts on this matter, and I share your concerns.

As you know, on June 22, 2006, several news organizations publicly disclosed the existence of an ongoing, highly classified national security program to track terrorists’ financial transactions, known as the "Terrorist Finance Tracking Program." Similar to the public disclosure of the National Security Agency’s Terrorist Surveillance Program, the disclosure of this program makes defending against future terrorist attacks even more difficult.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Judiciary Committees, I am committed to ensuring that we appropriately balance our national security needs with the protection of our civil liberties. However, I remain concerned that the release of classified information, such as occurred in The New York Times stories, could damage national security. Individuals who divulge classified information without proper authorization—especially when such information can undermine ongoing intelligence operations—should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Thus, on June 29, 2006, I introduced a resolution in the Senate, S.Res. 524, that condemns leaking and publication of highly classified national security information. This resolution calls on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and prosecute any and all persons responsible for the unauthorized disclosure of vital counter-terrorism programs. I have also asked the chairman of the Judiciary Committee to convene hearings regarding the role DOJ plays in investigating and prosecuting these crimes.

I appreciate the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Now keep in mind this was all in response to the New York Times having "treasonously" disclosed a "secret" spying program that Bush had set up to track terrorist financing. But truly, wouldn't this be the first thing one would do after a terrorist attack? Yes, it is. In fact, Bush was so proud of the steps he took to combat terrorist financing that he disclosed a new program to do just that.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 24, 2001
 
President Freezes Terrorists' Assets
Remarks by the President, Secretary of the Treasury O'Neill and Secretary of State Powell on Executive Order
The Rose Garden

9:35 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  

I've signed an executive order that immediately freezes United States financial assets of and prohibits United States transactions with 27 different entities. They include terrorist organizations, individual terrorist leaders, a corporation that serves as a front for terrorism, and several nonprofit organizations...This executive order means that United States banks that have assets of these groups or individuals must freeze their accounts. And United States citizens or businesses are prohibited from doing business with them.

We know that many of these individuals and groups operate primarily overseas, and they don't have much money in the United States. So we've developed a strategy to deal with that. We're putting banks and financial institutions around the world on notice, we will work with their governments, ask them to freeze or block terrorist's ability to access funds in foreign accounts. If they fail to help us by sharing information or freezing accounts, the Department of the Treasury now has the authority to freeze their bank's assets and transactions in the United States...

We will freeze the assets of others as we find that they aid and abet terrorist organizations around the world. We've established a foreign terrorist asset tracking center at the Department of the Treasury to identify and investigate the financial infrastructure of the international terrorist networks... It will bring together representatives of the intelligence, law enforcement and financial regulatory agencies to accomplish two goals: to follow the money as a trail to the terrorists, to follow their money so we can find out where they are; and to freeze the money to disrupt their actions.

We're also working with the friends and allies throughout the world to share information. We're working closely with the United Nations, the EU and through the G-7/G-8 structure to limit the ability of terrorist organizations to take advantage of the international financial systems.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010924-4.html

So as you can see, not only did Bush disclose such a program, he provided key operational details of the program as well. His goal? To put the terrorists on alert. And what did the terrorists do when Bush put them on alert? The same thing the Republicans are claiming resulted from the New York Times having "disclosed" this program - they changed their behavior.

In a nutshell: Bush discloses terrorist financial tracking program on September 24, 2001 and puts the terrorists on alert. The terrorists hear the message and change their behavior accordingly. The New York Times is accused of treason in 2006 for having "disclosed" this same exact program.

So did the New York Times truly commit treason? Are they guilty as charged? No. In fact, because Bush had already disclosed this program, the New York Times (at least in this author's opinion) could conceivably sue the Bush Administration for libel and defamation.

But this is a much larger issue. The Bush Administration has fought tooth and nail to decimate our free press. We cannot allow this onslaught. So I call upon the New York Times and the American people to fight this unjust attempt to discredit and dismantle our free press. It is truly our last bastion of democracy in this troubled nation.

[Mz Pip]

1. I wish the Dems

and the NY Times would jump all over this. It's been out there since the NY Times article hit the fan. Someone posted this on DU at that time. I sent it around myself and have bookmarked it for use whenever someone sends me some stupid crap.

THe only news that actually covered this that I know of was Keith Olbermann who did a montage of Bush and Cheney's remarks over the years publicly talking about this.

Why the Times isn't using this to defend itself outright is beyond me. Makes so much more sense then their oblique arguments about public right to know. Cut to the chase dudes. This was not "SECRET" anyathing. Just fucking say that! How hard can this be???

Same with the Democrats who get lumped in with the Times. They should be all over this. But they spend their time playing defense and looking lame.

Go figure.

Mz Pip:dem:

[tanyev]

2. Hey, fellow Planoite!

If you got a form letter back from John Cornyn, that's more than I ever get. You must have struck a nerve.

Welcome to DU!!!!! :hi:

[The Cleaner]

8. Small world! Good to know there's at least ONE Dem

in the Dallas area. There's so much Bush-worship around here it's disgusting.

Have you ever tried contacting Kay Bailey Hutchison? What a hoot! They're not very nice, that's for sure.

[tanyev]

11. KBH is the one I do hear back from.

All form letters from her, and so long in coming I've totally forgotten what issue I wrote her about, and the letter is so vague that it's hard to tell what issue it's addressing. I have no representation in Washington.

:cry:

[KyuzoGator]

3. Great blurb about this in this week's U.S. News & World Report:

[Sweet Freedom]

4. I added this to the DU debunker

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=284x216

[originalpckelly]

5. Not only that, but SWIFT publicly state they cooperate on their website:

http://www.swift.com/index.cfm?item_id=6149

"Statement on compliance
Cooperating in the global fight against abuse of the financial system for illegal activities
SWIFT is solely a carrier of messages between financial institutions. The information in these messages is issued and controlled exclusively by the sending and receiving institutions. SWIFT does not hold assets nor manage accounts on behalf of customers. It does not clear or settle transactions.

Given its importance in the financial community, SWIFT takes its role in the global fight against money laundering and other illegal activities extremely seriously:

1. Responsibilities - It is SWIFT policy that its services should not be used to facilitate illegal activities. Users are urged to take all reasonable steps to prevent any misuse of the SWIFT system.

2. Cooperation - SWIFT has a history of cooperating in good faith with authorities such as central banks, treasury departments, law enforcement agencies and appropriate international organisations, such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF*), in their efforts to combat abuse of the financial system for illegal activities.

3. No comment policy - Due to the sensitive nature of these contacts, SWIFT does not comment on them.

The challenge facing the financial industry is to implement measures that prevent illegal behaviour without penalising the efficient processing of legitimate financial transactions. SWIFT is fully committed to doing its part to address this challenge and remains committed to its policy of cooperation to fight money laundering and illegal activities within the scope of its activity.

* The FATF is an inter-governmental body, which develops and promotes policies to combat money laundering. The FATF monitors progress in building effective anti-money laundering systems, it reviews laundering techniques, and it promotes the adoption and implementation of money laundering counter-measures in non-member countries."

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has a website, on which they publicly state the US is a an active member:
http://www.fatf-gafi.org/document/57/0,2340,en_32250379_32236869_36104505_1_1_1_1,00.html

So in other words, with two google searches people could know the US was monitoring terrorist funding.

[The Cleaner]

7. WOW, THANKS!

Now WHY isn't the media all over this mother? wow!

I told one reporter I talked to that this could affect HIM, that the Bush gang may try to put them out of business. He denied that, and I told him, "Well I wouldn't put anything past these guys." He was pretty non-chalant about it, which I found a bit unnerving. But it was a good lesson - what one person thinks is newsworthy is not necessarily newsworthy to another.

But still, I think it's a huge story. And one that needs to get out there.

[originalpckelly]

10. I know it does need to get out there...

this President has so much dirty laundry...if this nation doesn't become an absolute dictatorship, people will be writing books for years. :-)

[Canuckistanian]

12. SWIFT even publishes a magazine

It's called "Dialogue", "the voice of the SWIFT community"

http://www.swift.com/index.cfm?item_id=43230

[Skidmore]

6. There's a whole lot of treason going on in that WH and in the halls

of Congress. Treasonous Republican regime and their apologists and enablers.

[EVDebs]

9. CNN's article: Was financial tracking ever secret ?

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/situation.room/blog/2006/06/was-financial-tracking-ever-secret.html

[The Cleaner]

13. thanks!

okay, that's good. I feel a litle better now. That article did in fact cite Bush's 9/24/01 disclosure of the program.

Good - hope it catches on!