CREW Files DoJ Complaint Against R. Leader Boehner For Illegal Leak = FISA Illegality Ruling

[L. Coyote]

Missing from the recent FISA "discussions" (polite characterization, eh?) have been questions concerning:

1.) Did Bush's keeping the secret ruling secret for so many months endanger American security, delaying the "fix"?
2.) If not, why did Rs accuse Dems of delaying and endangering American security?
3.) Why did Rep. Boehner leak this story when he did?
4.) Was Rep. Boehner's leak a violation of US law?
5.) Was Bush involved in or did he authorize this leak for political gain?


CREW FILES DOJ COMPLAINT AGAINST MIN. LEADER BOEHNER FOR ALLEGED ILLEGAL LEAK OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
6 Aug 2007 // Washington, DC
http://citizensforethics.org/node/29880


Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice asking that the Counterespionage Section of the National Security Division initiate an investigation into whether House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-OH) violated the law by leaking classified information.

In a July 31, 2007 interview with Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto, Rep. Boehner disclosed an aspect of a Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court’s decision regarding warrantless wiretapping, stating: "There's been a ruling, over the last four or five months, that prohibits the ability of our intelligence services and our counterintelligence people from listening in to two terrorists in other parts of the world where the communication could come through the United States."

By telling a reporter that a FISA court has restricted the U.S. intelligence community's surveillance of suspected terrorists overseas, Rep. Boehner appears to have transmitted information relating to the national defense in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 793(d).

18 U.S.C. § 793(d) provides that anyone with lawful possession of information relating to the national defense, which could be used to the injury of the United States, who willfully communicates that information to any person not entitled to receive it, is subject to up to ten years imprisonment.

Rep. Boehner apparently made his remarks to Mr. Cavuto in an effort to blame Democrats for failing to pass legislation overriding the court's decision ....

Notably, Minority Leader Boehner has previously expressed strong concerns over illegal leaks for political gain......

[Jack Bone]

1. Great news!!

:applause:

Rec'd!

[Greeby]

2. Appealing to this DoJ to investigate a repuke?

Is there anything more futile?

[L. Coyote]

10. Who do you think raided Sen. Steven's cabin? DoJ

Who put prisoner numbers on Reps. Cunningham and Ney? DoJ

It's easier to stay out of jail, in all probability, being the boss of DoJ, but they do put Republican Congress members in jail.
Likewise for lobbyists like Abramoff, et.al. Of course, there are quite a few to go

Quite a number of the Culture of Corruption's major White Collar Mafia members are in the pokey already and talking to DoJ.

[Canuckistanian]

3. Very curious

Why is CREW so worked up over this particular leak?

[Jackpine Radical]

7. I think maybe just beause it's Boehner & it catches him in a nice lot

of hypocrisy.

[Canuckistanian]

8. LOL, I'll buy that

I should have seen it earlier!

[Donnachaidh]

4. YEAH baby YEAH!

Bet Boehner starts hitting the sauce for breakfast after getting this news! :bounce: :bounce:

[Ian David]

5. Boenerwatch 2007! If your Boener lasts more than four hours, consult your lobbyist!

See also:

dept. of i went back to ohio, and my hooker was gone
Which Congressman From Ohio Uses Hookers?

The answer, of course, is ALL OF THEM, but what we really mean is “Which member of the Ohio delegation in the House has also ordered hookers from the DC Madam?” Larry Flynt is supposedly about to reveal this, maybe tomorrow or some other day. Meanwhile, let’s meet the candidates.

The least interesting choice is Bob Ney, because he’s already in prison or something and resigned from Congress and went to rehab. So there’s not a lot more he could do — maybe take off the toupee and freak out the squares?

The most interesting choice is Jean “Mean Jean” Schmidt, because WTF? The most unlikely choice is Dennis Kucinich, due to having a newish hot wife; plus, the hooker-user is obviously a Republican. But the most satisfying (and likely) choice is House Minority Leader Smokin’ John Boehner — you go ahead and pronounce it “Bayner,” and we’ll let history decide our pronunciation.

Rumor: Ohio Republican Implicated In Hooker Scandal {Buckeye State} http://buckeyestateblog.com/rumor_ohio_republican_implicated_in_hooker_scandal

More:
http://wonkette.com/politics/dept'-of-i-went-back-to-ohio,-and-my-hooker-was-gone/which-congressman-from-ohio-uses-hookers-282979.php

[southern_belle]

6. Cool!

:applause:

[Independent_Liberal]

9. Boener's gonna be limp!

:rofl:

[DeSwiss]

11. So I wonder what Boner's jail name will be????

oops: K&R!!!

[L. Coyote]

12. WA POST: Ruling Limited Spying Efforts = "Boehner .. disclosed elements of the court's decision"

Friday, August 3, 2007; Page A01

Ruling Limited Spying Efforts
Move to Amend FISA Sparked by Judge's DecisionWA
By Carol D. Leonnig and Ellen Nakashima - Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202619.html

A federal intelligence court judge earlier this year secretly declared a key element of the Bush administration's wiretapping efforts illegal, according to a lawmaker and government sources, providing a previously unstated rationale for fevered efforts by congressional lawmakers this week to expand the president's spying powers.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) disclosed elements of the court's decision in remarks Tuesday to Fox News as he was promoting the administration-backed wiretapping legislation. Boehner has denied revealing classified information, but two government officials privy to the details confirmed that his remarks concerned classified information.

...........

The decision was both a political and practical blow to the administration, which had long held that all of the National Security Agency's enhanced surveillance efforts since 2001 were legal. The administration for years had declined to subject those efforts to the jurisdiction of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and after it finally did so in January the court ruled that the administration's legal judgment was at least partly wrong.

The practical effect has been to block the NSA's efforts to collect information from a large volume of foreign calls and e-mails that passes through U.S. communications nodes .........

[L. Coyote]

13. MORE PRESS: Boehner leaked sensitive info

Group: Boehner leaked sensitive info
BY MALIA RULON - GANNETT.COM
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070806/NEWS01/308060052


WASHINGTON – A liberal watchdog group filed a complaint with the Justice Department on Monday alleging that House Minority Leader John Boehner of West Chester leaked classified information during a TV interview.

The complaint involves a July 31 TV interview with Fox News in which Boehner said a Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act court ruled recently to restrict the U.S. intelligence community’s surveillance of suspected terrorists overseas.

Boehner, the top Republican in the House, commented on the ruling in an attempt to blame Democrats for failing to pass legislation overriding the court’s decision. .....

==========================
CREW calls for leak investigation into Boehner.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/06/crew-calls-for-leak-investigation-into-boehner/

Last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) appeared on Fox News and disclosed a secret court ruling about the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. Today, “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice asking that the Counterespionage Section of the National Security Division initiate an investigation” into whether Boehner “violated the law by leaking classified information.”

24 Comments »

=========================
This one seems a propaganda special timed to defuse the leak:

Rep. John Boehner shifts easily into minority role, plots comeback for Republicans
Ohio congressman is Bush's link to House
Monday, August 06, 2007
Sabrina Eaton - Plain Dealer Bureau
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1186389294249410.xml&coll=2

Washington - John Boehner has had his share of bad breaks. One of the worst happened in November, when the Democratic Party's sweep of Congress cost him his job as House majority leader.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. discontinued the Barclay cigarettes he had smoked for years ....

Skills acquired over 17 years in Congress are helping Boehner achieve his goals. He's making full use of bomb-throwing talents he polished before the 1994 GOP takeover of Congress, the art of bipartisan compromise he honed as co-author of the No Child Left Behind education reform bill, and the stick-to-it-iveness he showed in comebacks after electoral losses in 1998 cost him a prior party leadership post.

He's also raising truckloads of political dollars to pass along to Republican candidates. Although he needs little of it to keep his southwest Ohio district, which he routinely wins by a wide margin, his re-election campaign took in $1.2 million in the first six months of this year, while his Freedom Project political action committee collected more than $500,000. The committees gave money to dozens of GOP candidates in the last quarter, and $135,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, which will use it to rebuild the party's prospects.

Boehner, 57, regularly appears on TV to denounce Democratic legislative efforts as "political stunts,"..........

[L. Coyote]

14. RAW STORY: Watchdog calls for probe of Minority Leader for alleged intel leak

Watchdog calls for probe of Minority Leader for alleged intel leak
Nick Juliano
Published: Monday August 6, 2007
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Watchdog_wants_DOJ_investigation_into_alleged_0806.html


An ethics watchdog charged Monday that House Minority Leader John Boehner broke the law and endangered national security .....

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has asked the Justice Department's Counterespionage Section to investigate .....

CREW argues that Boehner could face up to 10 years in prison for willfully communicating classified national defense information, "which would be used to the injury of the United States."

Although Boehner has previously criticized illegal leaks for political gain, the liberal watchdog group says his remarks to Cavuto appeared to be an effort to blame Democrats ..

[L. Coyote]

15. YouTube: Boehner talks spying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4f5UP55lxY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Frawstory%2Ecom%2Fnews%2F2007%2FWatchdog%5Fwants%5FDOJ%5Finvestigation%5Finto%5Falleged%5F0806%2Ehtml

[L. Coyote]

16. Enough is Enough - by John Boehner = Send an email to John Boehner

Enough is Enough - by John Boehner
Monday, August 6, 2007
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/JohnBoehner/2007/08/06/enough_is_enough

Send an email to John Boehner http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/JohnBoehner/2007/08/06/enough_is_enough?contact=true

[L. Coyote]

17. Kick for the evening crowd.

[L. Coyote]

18. White House Uses Its Own Illegal Conduct To Wage Political Offensive

White House Uses Its Own Illegal Conduct To Wage Political Offensive Over FISA Legislation
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/03/fisa-battle/

Earlier today, the White House rejected an agreement that had been struck between congressional leaders and the Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell to make changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), opting instead to launch a fresh political offensive over its spying activities. House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) explained to CQ (sub. req.) the administration pushed for more changes after Democrats reached an agreement with McConnell:

“DNI McConnell told us, ‘We need these three things.’ We gave them to him. Then he turned around and said, ‘Well, I have some other concerns.’”

Spencer Ackerman reports that the White House weighed in and overruled McConnell’s agreement with the congressional leaders. Bush declared today that he was “going to ask Congress to stay in session until they pass a bill” to his liking. The White House communications department then spammed reporters with “fact sheets” and emails about “why America needs FISA reform now.” ...

After illegally conducting the spying program, the White House and surrogates like Boehner are using the FISA legislation to score political points. ....