"WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee urged the Bush administration on Sunday to seek criminal charges against newspapers that reported on a secret financial-monitoring program used to trace terrorists.
Rep. Peter King cited The New York Times in particular for publishing a story last week that the Treasury Department was working with the CIA to examine messages within a massive international database of money-transfer records.
King, R-N.Y., said he would write Attorney General Alberto Gonzales urging that the nation's chief law enforcer "begin an investigation and prosecution of The New York Times — the reporters, the editors and the publisher."
"We're at war, and for the Times to release information about secret operations and methods is treasonous," King told The Associated Press."
This is welcome, yet not all are helpful. As Arlen (Magic Bullet) Spector - our favior "pro-leak" Senator again balks:
"King's action was not endorsed by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, GOP Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
"On the basis of the newspaper article, I think it's premature to call for a prosecution of the New York Times, just like I think it's premature to say that the administration is entirely correct," Specter told "Fox News Sunday."
Again, Spector should remember who brought him to the party - oh and by the way, STFU. Hell the boy voted for the measure in the original Patriot act and subsequent reacts. He's a dolt and quite frankly a disgrace.
But King's effort will most likely get the ball rolling regardless. Let me also remind readers that there is an ongoing investigation (a rigorous one at that) into the CIA "prison" leak. Gonazales is NOT sitting on his hands. Fact is that this recent leak may just be the final straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back.
The Time's Bill Keller has also posted a rather lame and hysterical response to those who would dare to question his patriotism. I would say also to Keller as I did to Spector, if I were him, I would get an attorney and, oh yeah, STFU.
UPDATE: Heh....Don Surber's response to Keller.
"Keller would have been better off remaining silent.
Rather than give a reasoned and calm reply, Keller played politics, citing "the angry words of conservative bloggers and TV or radio pundits" and engaging in parenthetical well-so-are-you playground games:
"(I could ask, if that's the case, why they are drawing so much attention to the story themselves by yelling about it on the airwaves and the Internet.)"
Oh, brother. This is the fellow Pinch hired to run things? The gray lady is sinking."
Indeed, and quickly.
UPDATE II: Paul at Wizbang summarizes the letter thusly"
"Dear Reader:
1) We have no reason to believe the program was illegal in any way.
2) We have every reason to believe it was effective at catching terrorists.
3) We ran the story anyway, screw you.
Bill Keller
This boy is done.
UPDATE: The President is pissed. That usually is a signal to the DOJ to move.
Tom McGuire: "Tell me again whether there are any checks at all on this "power that has been given us". Where is the accountability at the Times - can We the People un-elect Bill Keller? How can we make him stop?
Or, if there is no accountability, is that really how we want to run our democracy? Don't We the People have the right to decide that some national security secrets need to be kept secret? Or can any bureaucrat with an agenda overrule his elected superiors?
Let me re-phrase that - can any bureaucrat with an agenda with which the Times is comfortable overrule his elected superiors on national security issues?"
Yeah, Bill, do tell....
National Review calls for the WH to revoke the Ny Time's press credentials. I agree, and frog-marching Bill Keller would be fun too.
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