In “Update: Did the C.I.A. Lie to Congress?” yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, I quoted the New York Times’ breaking news story, “Cheney Is Linked to Concealment of C.I.A. Project.”
Typical of what happens after a “weekend dump,” the New York Times did not have much to add this morning.
Neither did the Washington Post, which gave credit to The Times for breaking the story, but did have a couple of additional bits of information:
In an interview last night with The Washington Post, an intelligence official said it was “generally known” from the beginning that Cheney had requested that the program be kept from Congress. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was unclear whether the agency was obligated to brief Congress.
“We never briefed the vice president, the president or the Cabinet,” said a former senior intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the program remains highly secret. He said the program remained in the planning stages and never crossed the agency’s threshold for reporting to the administration and congressional overseers.
Also, according to the Post, as expected:
House Democrats said yesterday that they expect to launch a formal investigation into a secret CIA program that was not disclosed to Congress for almost eight years, a probe that could entangle senior Bush administration officials who oversaw intelligence issues.
Apparently there was quite a bit of additional commentary on the Sunday shows this morning.
I did not watch them, thus I will rely on Thinkprogress’ “GOP Responds To Cheney’s Concealment Of CIA Program With Strawmen And Shrugged Shoulders ” coverage of it.
According to ThinkProgress, several Republican lawmakers attempted to defend or divert attention away from the revelation about Cheney. “I don’t think we should be jumping to any conclusions,” said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on ABC’s This Week. Kyl claimed that Cheney’s alleged actions were “not out of the ordinary”:
STEPHANOPOULOS: But this allegation of the vice president ordering it be kept secret, you believe that should be investigated?
KYL: Look, the president and the vice president are the two people who have responsibility, ultimately, for the national security of the country. It is not out of the ordinary for the vice president to be involved in an issue like this.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But to order it be kept secret?
KYL: What if it’s a top secret program? Of course he and the president would both be responsible for that. Let’s don’t jump to conclusions is what I’m saying.
And, on Fox News Sunday, according to ThinkProgress:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said that while he agrees that “the CIA should brief the Congress,” any mention of Cheney is just the Obama administration trying to “blame the Bush-Cheney administration” for everything. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he doesn’t “know whether it was appropriate,” but dismissed the concern by saying, “the CIA is in the secrecy business.”
Also, according to ThinkProgress:
On CNN, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) said that it “is wrong if somebody told the CIA not to inform the appropriate members of Congress,” but tried to cast the debate as an “attempt” by Democrats “to basically undermine the capacity to protect and develop intelligence.”
Finally, on NBC’s Meet The Press, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he doesn’t “know what the details of this are” and that Cheney “should obviously be heard from if the accusations are leveled in his direction.” “If I know Washington, this is the beginning of a pretty involved and detailed story,” said McCain, adding that he doesn’t know if there should be “a, quote, investigation.”
