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A group of Republican senators led by Arizona Sen. John McCain sought to stir up outrage on Tuesday in hopes of having a special counsel named to investigate classified intelligence leaks from the Obama administration.
"Where is the outrage?" the senators asked at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
From left, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, take turns at the microphones to assert their belief that President Obama's administration has orchestrated disclosure of classified information for political gain, during a news conference on Capitol Hill.
"We need a special counsel. We need someone who the American people can trust, and we need to stop the leaks that are endangering the lives of those men and women who are serving our country with valor our courage. And they deserve a lot better," McCain told reporters.
McCain read excerpts of David Sanger's book that, he said, indicated senior Obama administration officials had publicly discussed classified information. He pointed to a meeting Sanger had in the presidential suite at the G20 in Pittsburgh in 2009 where officials shared intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.
"How does a person be brought up to the presidential suite and be briefed by quote 'national security personnel' unless they are at the highest level?" he asked.
McCain said the professional, non-political intelligence officers he has spoken with are "distraught" and "outraged" by the leaks.
The senators said at issue are reports about the NAVY Seal raid on Osama bin Laden, U.S. missions in Pakistan, the outinf of a Yemeni double agent and details of a cyberwar against Iran and the U.S. drone program.
McCain called the new rules to stop leaks announced by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper yesterday "important," but not enough.
The ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, said the president needs to step up his concern.
"What the president ought to be saying is, this is very damaging to the country and we're going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of it," he said.
He warned: "Is it going to take one of our sources not just having his life put in danger but being injured, who knows what else may happen to somebody out there now, before this administration gets serious about this and does get outraged? ... What's it going to take to get this administration outraged about this?"
"where is the outrage in this administration?" added Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R). "Where is there any indication that within the Obama administration officials are outraged at the criminal leaks of classified information that put our agents and our friends at risk?"
The senators are calling for a special prosecutor because they say it is nearly impossible to have an independent investigation of the leaks by U.S. attorneys who report to Attorney General Eric Holder.
"Now do we really think in spite of the capability of these two US attorneys that when you have somebody who is appointed by the administration, are they really going to be unbiased in their investigation of the administration that appointed them?" Chambliss asked.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who has clashed publicly with Holder, calling for his resignation at a Senate hearing earlier this month, said "this administration cannot be trusted to investigate itself."
Cornyn said a congressional investigation may be necessary. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has expressed support for the U.S. attorney’s investigation. She said she does not believe a special prosecutor is necessary and would take too much time.
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Sonny, you are correct. Fast & Furious and the Cover-up exposed Holder as a totally unreliable AG, Solyndra exposed BO as an inept economic fool. Both of these are serious scandals. But what I fear is all this clutter takes a lot of air out of the WH leaks. This is far more dangerous, and could really (probably already has) affect our national security. Remember when former Secy of Defense Gates went into the situation room, looked at Obama's chief advisor in the eye and said "Shut the F-- Up". Trading our security so he can beat his chest for a few more votes is TREASON.
Hello,hello!!! Stupid Senators, "Where is the outrage"?? Maybe these same people have already seen through you phony patriotism. You kept fighting useless wars with money we don't have and wasting precious lives we need to build the nation and you still don't get it. Idiots, go home and retire. With your age(the youngest ones are just 70 years old) and still playing political games. Go home and spend time with your great grand kids.
No one's saying mistakes and leaks haven't followed around both parties, including Bush. But this one really puts out national security at risk. And for what? Just so BO can beat his chest while tipping our hand to our enemies and putting all our military and agents at risk. Hank, there is no comparison, this is TREASON.
backfire-U, I couldn't agree more. Tragic consequences developing from this worthless potus, he's not only worthless, he's extremely costly as he tries to take down america and redistribute wealth. Bad potus, bad potus.
The Republican corporate todies are at it again waisting time and tax payer money trying to make the Obama Administration look bad. The Democrats don't need help, they can screw up all by themselves. In the mean time millions of Americans are hurting. The Florida Panhandle is under water and the Flood program is about to expire but had bipartisan support for renewal until A holy Joe Senator tried to attach an amendment that would legally make a fetus a person. Exactly what was shot down in Mississippi last year. What a load of crap. If congress has a 9% favorable rating what planet does that 9% live on?
I agree. Both Parties can't even agree on anything amongst themselves, much less across party lines. Compromise is dead, and so are we. During the next four years of Romney's administration, we need to earnestly begin a grass roots foundation for a viable 3rd party. One that governs from the center, not just for freeloaders or the ultra rich. But The Amateur is the one saying, "it's my way or the highway". During the 1st 2 years he owned both lanes of the highway. He drove us from the ditch Bush left us in into the middle of the corn field with the truck & the economy completely upside down.
Where were these "distraught" and "outraged" republicans when the Bush/Cheney administration was outing Valerie Plame? Can you say "hypocrites"?
ooohhh boy another "but Bush" response. How original. Well since we like to look back. What were all of those classified Secret files that Sandy Berger stole and removed from archives to protect the Clinton Administration?
How did Ron Brown really die.
Who shot John Connoly?
Did Jackie Kennedy have an affair with Marlon Brando?
Some one is leaking intel from the White House!!!! Do you want to focus on that or admit obama is a dirt bag by trying to divert the the issue?
@ proudamericanveteran
If the White House was indeed involved in this, then the truth will eventually come out, and we can deal with it then. I simply posted a response questioning the honesty of the republicans who are now going through their usual (and predictable) political posturing over something Obama did. Deal with it.
If you want to do a finger pointing count from the way back machine, I bet that there were more republican than democrat scandals, and that a lot more of them were closer to being "treason" than Clinton's BJ.
Someone was leaking information about Valerie Plame from the White House, but that was OK apparently. Actually, wasn't that treason? Of course, a fall guy was found, and pardoned. Don't be such an @ss when you're called out on BS.
Yes where is the outrage? I mean, they should never reveal the name of a CIA operative like they did.... oh wait, THAT was the last Administration. Well I guess we're good to go.
I can't beleive MSNBC even posted this article. Must have been a mistake. No way they would admit that the obama administration is anything less than perfect.
Certain the website administrator has been fired. You are not suppose to let the Kool-Aid drinkers know of any problems until they have found a way to blame Bush.
??? what? Oh brother, do you have any NEW material? Or do you plan to rehash the same OLD crap that FOX News spews. Oh wait.... you don't have anything new, FOX hasn't told you what to say yet. Sorry.
Bernard.
Bull, this isk the most biased of all the newscasts I read, daily by the way. I don't agree with fox that often, but it is more willing to discus a widero range of issues, including its own problems, which msnbc is apparently unable to do, as seen in the gross hostility in your word selection.
You are conjecturing Thor. Right.... Fox discusses it's own problems... uh-huh....right. How about the Murdoch scandal in the UK? You had Fox reporters, on live feed, not live broadcast asking each other if anybody is going to talk about the thing they're not suppose to talk about. MSN is much fairer than you would like to believe, unlike Fox. Fox is, as it's viewers will convey, a CONSERVATIVE News Channel. And you said there was less bias on Fox. How dare you sir?
Want to hear a JOKE!!!
I feel better now!!!!
Arizona Sen. John McCain said ""We need a special counsel" and Arizona Sen. John McCain will lead them!!!
You liberal pukes on this site absolutely make me sick!! You Obamabots have such rose colored glasses on, the man can do no wrong in your eyes apparently, but.... I'd expect nothing more from you anti-American socialist whiners. You honestly don't think there is anything wrong with leaking our intelligence secrets to the press to report on, to give away our secrets that weaken our foreign policy!!!! The disrespect towards John McCain I find appalling as well! You don't need to agree with his politics, but the man fought for this country and gave up the use of a part of his body doing it. You have no respect for men and women in the military that sacrifice so much of themselves to guarantee our right to even sit on a computer and speak our minds. Go try doing that in Russia, North Korea, or China!!! You people that support this treasonous traitor and his administration in the white house need to pull your collective heads out and care more about this country than you do about what entitlements, courtesy of the tax payers, he is going to use to try and win votes:
Here's a great example - if you have enough kids, there is no limit to how much you can receive in SNAP... Formerly The Federal Food Stamps program -
#income
There is so much fraud in this program. What would prevent an unmarried person with several children and no income from qualifying for SNAP benefits and then moving a boy/girlfriend who earns a very decent wage in and still keep the benefit. Oh, wait, that happens all the time.
I'm not disputing the fact that there is a need for this program for those who truly need it, but for those who abuse it, it disgusts me! The bigger question is, why are the numbers of recipients of these benefits so much higher under this administration. It is one of two things - there is a much higher demand as he is driving the economy even further in the hole, or his administration is running public service ads to encourage more households to take advantage of the program in an effort to gain loyalty and votes.
Quit editing my links you MSNBC pukes -
#income