We'd better keep tabs on this fight between CIA and Dem congressional staffers.

[grasswire]

A McClatchy short article from the Sunday paper begins:

Democratic staffers of the Senate Intelligence Committee obtained classified documents at the heart of a bitter struggle with the CIA some three years before the agency determined that the materials had been spirited out of a secret facility and demanded their return according to U.S. officials.

snip

The alleged unauthorized removal of the documents, which is being investigated by the FBI, triggered the unprecedented battle over the authority of the committee, which was created in 1976.

snip

Some people familiar with the matter have defended the committee staffers' action as arguably within the legal and constitutional authority of the CIA's congressional overseers, and they questioned the decision by the agency's Office of General Counsel to seek a criminal investigation.

This is a real separation of powers can of worms. Congress oversight committee vs. CIA -- a CIA that is determined to prevent the release of the 6,300 page report on the Bush administration's use of torture.

Is the CIA above its overseers who are representing the people?

[ForgoTheConsequence]

1. This must be a tough one for some posters here.

Don't want to risk looking like a Snowden supporting Ron Paul voter.

[ReRe]

2. So let me get this straight...

... an unknown Congressional Intel Committee staffer is being accused by the CIA of spiriting classified documents from the CIA? So what now, do away with the Committee and just not oversee the CIA anymore? Take away more oversight?

Does anyone trust or believe anything the CIA says? Or a Republican Intel (oxymoron) Committee for that matter?

[Pholus]

3. Sounds like we found our "balance between security and privacy."

The CIA needs its privacy after all.

So now the system will have some privacy to go with that "collect it all" security that has saved us countless times we can't talk about.

[eomer]

4. Link to the article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/03/07/220573/intelligence-panel-staffers-took.html

[Berlum]

5. "Smirk." - Poppy (R - BFEE - Skull & Boner)

[GeorgeGist]

6. Why would the 1% care?

[CJCRANE]

7. Care about what?

[Agony]

8. perfect, contractors get to decide what information the Senate Intelligence Committee can see?

from the McClatchy article... "The materials were first reviewed by a team of CIA officials and contractors. They logged and dumped materials that they’d cleared on the other side of a firewall in a database accessible by the committee staff, explained a U.S. official, who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter on the record."

in an open democratic system why not just give the senate committee (staffers) the same security clearance that the fucking contractors have so that the committee can decide what is relevant? Contractors reviewing information that the peoples representatives can not see in the course of investigating constitutional violations is a constitutional crisis.

[Eleanors38]

9. "Is the CIA above its overseers?" Obviously, it thinks so.

[tech3149]

11. Truman figured that out after they killed Kennedy

The CIA and NSA are like animals that are trained to kill. They are just too dangerous to let off the leash without a kill switch.

[bemildred]

10. Yes, if that report comes out, the government will lose it's "deniability"

with regard to the Bush/Cheney torture and rendition programs.

[grasswire]

18. yep

and the fact that Obama administration is not siding with the people's right to know here means POTUS loses his deniability too.

[bemildred]

19. It's just a fig leaf anyway.

But I'm sure it would provide some new and interesting information (the report).

[Octafish]

12. Allen Dulles is the fellow who turned the intelligence outfit into ''Conspiracies In Action''

In the process, he created "Capitalism's Invisible Army" to serve Wall Street and the ownership class -- you know, the people who own the federal government.

[grasswire]

15. Octafish, how do we even know if staffers DID remove the paper?

CIA could have trumped up that accusation in order to gum up the release of the report.

I would think it too much of a risk for Democratic staffers to even consider doing this. Something stinks.

[Octafish]

16. Agree. Something is amiss and We the People have a right to know more to answer. In the meantime...

...a guess or two.

On one level: Democratic staffers are on the hot seat, rather than the CIA breaking the law to torture people and to conduct domestic operations on Congress and whoever else they target.

On the other level: Whoever is inside the Intel community and siding with the People's right-to-know what their government is up to are now considered traitors.

Rather than the limited hang-out or preemptory diversion, we may be seeing signs of a schism within CIA and the rest of the alphabet soup over who the enemy is. Making this all go public shows Senators Wyden and Udall they are not alone.

Here's what we can tell: If Congress had any power, they'd be on it and stand up with Wyden and Udall.

Since they've largely been alone on the questions of USA PATRIOT Act and other abuses, it tells us Congress is just going to go along to get along with the place of real power. And since these days "money trumps peace," it's clear who that would be. It's the same crowd who silenced the CIA scientists who smelled "the Buchenwald touch" with the secret radiation tests conducted on Americans. Today, it's called Cheney's Unitary Executive.

[grasswire]

20. puzzling this over

Question: would we know about this "breach" if the CIA hadn't let it be known?

Next question: If the CIA wants it known, why?

[grasswire]

13. the most dangerous part to my mind...

.....is the CIA opening a criminal investigation into the staffers. This provokes a constitutional crisis, does it not?

[librechik]

14. don't worry--nothing will happen. Really. Nothing.

If they win against the CIA, they'll get 6300 pages of redacting.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. The oversight committee should hire Snowden to provide them with info on what they're overseeing.

[MinM]

21. Eerily reminiscent of Abscam

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4195860

[Rex]

22. Kick!

For calling it early!