Who Leaked To The Guardian The NSA's Verizon Spy Program?

Jason Reed/Reuters

The Unknown Patriot Who Exposed The Government's Verizon Spy Program -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

In praise of whistle-blowers whose risky disclosures of official wrongdoing make the nation stronger rather than weaker.

The federal government forced Verizon to turn over information on the phone calls of millions of innocent Americans and forbade them from telling anybody about it, The Guardian reports. Kudos to Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, and Spencer Ackerman for the impressive scoop, and for posting the evidence here.

Who helped the journalists obtain that "top-secret" court order?

Hopefully, that's going to stay secret for a long time. As Charlie Savage and Edward Wyatt note in the New York Times, "The order was marked TOP SECRET//SI//NOFORN, referring to communications-related intelligence information that may not be released to noncitizens. That would make it among the most closely held secrets in the federal government, and its disclosure comes amid a furor over the Obama administration's aggressive tactics in its investigations of leaks." In other words, it was likely leaked by someone who took a personal risk exposing it.

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My Comment: As intelligence leaks go .... this is one of the biggest. I suspect that right now there is a full blown investigation being conducted on finding the person responsible for this leak .... and heaven help him if he/she gets caught.

Update: DOJ Will 'Very Likely' Investigate Guardian NSA Leak, Says Pete Williams; Official Disagrees -- Huffington Post

Pentagon Investigators: Top Obama Official Leaked Restricted Information To The Filmmakers Behind “Zero Dark Thirty”

Director/Producer Kathryn Bigelow (left) and Writer/Producer Mark Boal on the set of Columbia Pictures' thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty." Courtesy Jonathan Olley/MCT

Bin Laden Film Leak Was Referred To Justice; Leaker Top Obama Official -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — Pentagon investigators concluded that a senior defense official mentioned as a possible candidate to be the next CIA director leaked restricted information to the makers of the acclaimed film on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and referred the case to the Justice Department, according to knowledgeable U.S. officials.

The Justice Department was sent the case involving Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers in September, but it so far has declined to launch a criminal prosecution, said two senior U.S. officials who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

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Update: Sources Say DOD Inspector General Report Criticizes Vickers in Discussions with Filmmakers -- ABC News

My Comment: If true .... Michael Vickers can kiss this future job goodbye.

Have Americans Died From Intelligence Leaks?

CIA Memorial Wall. Wikipedia

Has an Intelligence Leak Ever Caused an American Death? -- Brian Palmer, Slate

Estimating the human cost of loose lips.

The Defense Department is threatening to sue former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette, whose pseudonymously published book about the killing of Osama bin Laden went on sale this week. Pentagon officials say the book, No Easy Day, reveals classified information and puts American lives at risk. Has the disclosure of classified information ever led directly to an American death?

Possibly. There have been attacks and assassinations after intelligence leaks, but the causal link is difficult to prove. Consider the killing of CIA station chief Richard Welch, gunned down in Athens, Greece, by Marxist terrorists in 1975. The Athens News had outed Welch a month before the killing, and U.S. officials suspected that disaffected former CIA agent Philip Agee was responsible for the leak.

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My Comment: When Americans were able to decrypt intelligence from the enemy during wartime .... people died. I can only assume the same for the other side, that when they are able to garner info from our own intelligence leaks .... people (Americans) will die.

Intel Leaks Have 'Absolutely' Damaged US National Security

(President Barack Obama meets with John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, in the Oval Office, Jan. 4, 2010. Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

Brennan: Intel Leaks Have 'Absolutely' Damaged US National Security -- The Hill

Unauthorized leaks of sensitive information regarding American-led counterterrorism operations have "absolutely" damaged U.S. national security, according to a top administration official.

"There have been some devastating leaks," chief White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Wednesday.

"It's unconscionable what has gone out. And the president has made his displeasure abundantly clear to his senior team," he said during a speech at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations.

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My Comment: OK .... so John Brennan is upset about intelligence leaks ... and yes .... these leaks have damaged national security. But for all of these leaks to happen .... it could only from that small group who meets in the Situation Room when these matters are discussed. A particular small group that (by the way) owe their loyalty to only one man ... and that man is the present occupant in the Oval Office.

So good luck Mr. Brennan on stopping the leaks .... my gut is telling me that you will fail.

Are Inquiries Into Security Leaks Dampening News Coverage On National Security Issues?

Inquiry Into Security Leaks Is Casting Chill Over Coverage -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — F.B.I. agents on a hunt for leakers have interviewed current and former high-level government officials from multiple agencies in recent weeks, casting a distinct chill over press coverage of national security issues as agencies decline routine interview requests and refuse to provide background briefings.

The criminal investigation, which has reached into the White House, the Pentagon, the National Security Agency and the C.I.A., appears to be the most sweeping inquiry into intelligence disclosures in years. It coincides with Senate consideration of new legislation, designed to curb intelligence officials’ exchanges with reporters, that intelligence veterans and civil libertarians fear could be counterproductive and may raise constitutional issues.

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My Comment: I am not in complete agreement with this New York Times story. On national security issues, one big difference that I have noticed between the Obama administration versus the Bush administration has been in the quality of the intelligence leaks. Under the Bush administration the leaks were always embarrassing .... putting the President in a "bad light", and in the case of Scooter Libby, putting him in jail. Under the Obama administration .... the leaks have been very positive on how the administration has been handling itself .... and no one is going to go to jail. Case in point .... yesterday's leak on President Obama authorizing covert assistance to the Syrian rebels. There has been no calls on who leaked this story .... nor has there been any criticism or even a hint of a debate on the news and revelation that the US is now becoming actively involved in a major Middle Eastern civil war. Instead .... we have praise from Republicans, the media, pundits, etc.... and as to who leaked the story to Reuters .... no one cares.

The Spy Scandal In Canada May Have Put Allies’ Secrets At Risk

Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle is the first person charged under Canada’s post-9/11 secrets law. Paul Darrow / Reuters files

Alleged Canadian Spy Jeffrey Paul Delisle May Have Put Allies’ Secrets At Risk -- National Post/Reuters

The spying allegations against a Halifax naval officer are causing ripples in Australia and Britain, with unconfirmed media reports suggesting that intelligence supplied to Canada by some of its key allies was compromised in the case.

Canadian security experts, however, suggest the breaches are unlikely to cause much of a rift within the group.

Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, who was charged in January with passing information to a foreign entity that could harm Canada’s interests, had access to and allegedly sold highly classified information collected by the “Five Eyes” intelligence community, which includes the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.


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More News On Canada's Spy Scandal

Canada spy case rocks ASIO -- Sydney Morning Herald
Spy suspect had access to top secrets: report -- Vancouver Sun/Daily Telegraph
Foreign spy 'stole' Australian secrets -- Sydney Morning Herald
Report says alleged Canadian spy’s activities compromised Australia’s intelligence network -- Toronto Star
Australia, Canada discussed navy spy case -- CBC
Australia was briefed on Halifax navy espionage case: report -- National Post/Canadian Press
Top level British secrets 'compromised by Canadian spy' -- The Telegraph
British intelligence 'may have been compromised by Canadian spy' -- The Telegraph

My Comment: This intelligence leak is bad in every way.

Blowback From Intelligence Leaks

David Sanger on Charlie Rose

National Security Leaks And Iranian Revenge -- Micah Zenko and Emma Welch, Council On Foreign Relations

On June 1, 2012, the New York Times featured a remarkable work of journalism by David Sanger that opened with the following revelation:

“From his first months in office, President Obama ordered increasingly sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that run Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities, significantly expanding America’s first sustained use of cyberweapons, according to participants in the program.”

In his 2009 book The Inheritance, Sanger revealed details about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) penetration of Iranian government computers—also known as cyber exploitation—that helped inform the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which judged “with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program.” Sanger also offered clues about activities covered in a spring 2008 presidential finding that authorized covert action in Iran, including “efforts to interfere with the power supply to nuclear facilities—something that can sometimes be accomplished by tampering with computer code, and getting power sources to blow up.” While there were leaks about suspected U.S. covert activities targeting the Iranian nuclear program, no confirming evidence about the offensive cyber attacks had been published before last month.

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My Comment: This focus on the messenger (David Sanger) .... and the damage that his reporting has done on our intelligence programs .... is .... in my opinion .... justified. But Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, is also right when she bluntly states that the main culprit behind recent leaks comes from this building.

Pentagon Tries To Stop The Leaks

Pentagon Officials Work To Stop Leaks -- Voice of America

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered top military officials to monitor major U.S. news media for leaks of classified information, in an effort to stop the unauthorized release of government secrets to the public.

The Pentagon made the announcement following a closed-door hearing Thursday in which top military officers, including Panetta, testified before the powerful House Armed Services Committee.

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My Comment: So the pentagon has ordered top military officials to monitor the media and web sites for leaks. Hmmmm .... I guess that explains why I am receiving traffic from the US military. But interestingly .... for the past 3 years .... I have also getting traffic from this source.

Recent Intelligence Leaks Did Not Come From The Pentagon

Defense Officials Tell Congress Recent Leaks Did Not Come From Pentagon -- CNN

A spate of leaks of classified information regarding recent U.S. covert operations has damaged the United States, top Pentagon officials told congressional members during a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Not long after, the Pentagon announced an initiative for cracking down on leaks.

During a hearing before the House Armed Service Committee, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey and the Pentagon's top lawyer informed the house panel that damage was done, but the trio did not give the panel specifics, according to the head of the committee, Rep. Buck McKeon, R-California.

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My Comment: Everyone is saying the same thing .... that they are 'concerned' with what has happened. But the lack of urgency and action to uncover who is (or are) responsible for all of these leaks .... as well as the media's total lack of interest to follow-up on this story .... is both disturbing AND very revealing.

National-Security Leaks ‘Probably The Most Damaging’ In U.S. History

Rogers: National-Security Leaks ‘Probably the Most Damaging’ in U.S. History -- National Journal

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., called the recent slew of national-security leaks “probably the most damaging” in this country’s history, warning that people’s lives are in danger and families have already had to be relocated as a result of the public speculation about highly classified operational activities.

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My Comment: In all of my years of following national security and intelligence stories, I have never been exposed to as many U.S. leaks as I have been in the past two years. Will this damage long term U.S. intelligence operations .... I would have to say yes. Was this done deliberately and for political reasons .... only an independent prosecutor can get to the bottom of this story .... but I doubt that such a prosecutor will be appointed by the Justice department in such a volatile election year.

Trying To Deter U.S. Intelligenec Leaks

GOP Senators Press Holder For Special Prosecutor Into Potential National Security Leaks -- FOX News

GOP senators are putting the pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether the White House is responsible for national security leaks.

“The numerous national security leaks reportedly originating out of the executive branch in recent months have been stunning,” according to a copy of the letter to Holder, signed by more than 30 GOP senators and obtained by Fox News. “If there were ever a case requiring an outside special counsel with bipartisan acceptance and widespread public trust, this is it.”

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More News On U.S. Intelligence Leaks

GOP senators welcome steps to deter classified leaks but insist on special counsel -- Washington Post/AP
GOP senators seek special counsel to probe leaks -- AP
Security Leaks Require U.S. Congressional Probe, Republicans Say -- Bloomberg
McCain: New leak rules not enough to fix problem -- The Hill
Senators ask Holder to appoint independent counsel to investigate leaks -- Daily Caller
McCain renews call for independent leak probe -- Politico
Clapper issues anti-leak rules -- UPI
Director of National Intelligence announces anti-leak measures -- L.A. Times
Intelligence Chief Announces New Rules to Curb Leaks -- New York Times
New measures approved to stem intelligence leaks -- Washington Post
Intel agencies up lie detector use to find leaks -- CBS
Intelligence Polygraph Exams Will Probe Leaks, Clapper Says -- Bloomberg Businessweek
U.S spy chief toughens employee polygraph to stem leaks -- Reuters
GOP senators ask where's 'outrage' on intel leaks -- MSNBC

U.S. Intelligence Agencies Preparing To Use A New Polygraph Procedure To Deter Leaks

Intelligence Agencies Weigh New Polygraph Question To Prevent Leaks -- L.A. Times

WASHINGTON – As part of his effort to plug leaks, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is considering a proposal to force intelligence agency employees to answer a direct question in their polygraph examinations about whether they have disclosed information to reporters, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Government officials who seek top-secret clearances are subject to an initial polygraph test and periodic renewals, in many cases every five years. Currently, they are asked whether they have ever disclosed classified information to someone not authorized to receive it. But they are not specifically asked about contacts with the news media.

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My Comment: What impact will this have? Probably journalists having their names wiped out in some Rolodexes and friendships put at a distance.

Are Recent Intelligence Leaks Wildly Overblown?

Obama Leak 'Scandal' Is Wildly Overblown -- Peter Bergen, CNN

(CNN) -- On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate a series of recent leaks that critics charge are designed to bolster the national security credentials of the Obama administration.

Investigations by special prosecutors can take on a life of their own.

Recall that the investigation of the Whitewater real estate deal in Arkansas -- in which Bill and Hillary Clinton actually lost money -- morphed into the scandal of the Monica Lewinsky affair.

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My Comment: If this leak "scandal" is overblown, why did the "leak" of Valerie Plame's position at the CIA entailed nonstop news coverage for years, the appointment of a special prosecutor (even though the leaker was known), and the conviction of Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff (not because of the leak) and imprisonment.

You cannot have your cake .... and eat it to.

As to the assertion that these leaks have not harmed anyone .... tell that to Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi.

What Are The Costs Of An Intelligence Leak

More Evidence Of The Damage of Leaks -- Max Boot, Commentary

Yesterday, I wrote about the damage that leaks can do to sensitive intelligence operations. Now, ABC News has reported: “The long running operation with the deep cover operative was one that intelligence agencies planned to keep running. It was pulled up short in the past week when leaks developed and put the infiltrator in jeopardy. Sources involved in the intelligence operation said the plan was to keep the operation running until a more complete picture of the still developing plots and plans of the Yemen based group and its sinister, creative bombmaker, were learned.”

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My Comment: All eyes are on the White House as the source of these leaks. But with no smoking gun .... and reporters not telling their sources .... any investigation (of which there is one already on this case) will go nowhere.

Recent Intelligence Leaks Worries Security Experts

Suicide Bomb Plot Leak Worries Security Experts -- Reuters

* Informer was British citizen - sources
* Details of operation disclosed in U.S. media
* Experts say disclosure may harm future operations

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - Counter-terrorism experts expressed concern on Friday over U.S. leaks about an undercover operation that foiled a suicide bomb plot, saying its exposure may deter agents from volunteering for the risky job of infiltrating al Qaeda's network.

While electronic methods are increasingly used in espionage operations of all kinds, human intelligence remains crucial because al Qaeda's best operatives try to avoid the use of any electronic communications to minimise the chance of detection.

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My Comment: These concerns are 100% justified .... especially when you read stories like this one. But unlike the U.S. where details of this plot were revealed to everyone, the British are staying tight-lipped.

U.S. Intelligence Director Orders An Internal Review On Leaks After The Latest Al Qaeda Bomb Plot Was Revealed

Spy Chief Orders Review Of Bomb Plot Leaks -- CNN

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has ordered an internal review across the intelligence community to determine if leaks regarding a Saudi mole who infiltrated an Qaeda affiliate in Yemen came from any of the 16 intelligence agencies he oversees.

The move comes after revelations this week that a mole helped foil a plot to blow up a U.S.-bound plane by penetrating al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

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More News On The US Spy Chief Ordering An Inquiry Into Leaks Over the Latest Al Qaeda Plot

Feds investigating leak in Al Qaeda bomb plot case, source says -- FOX News/AP
CIA launches inquiry into media leaks over 'underpants' double agent -- The Telegraph
US spy chief orders inquiry into leaks over Qaeda plot -- Yahoo 7 News/AFP
Feds investigate leak in terrorism case -- AP
Underwear bomb news reports prompt inquiry, official says -- L.A. Times
Federal Investigators Probe Leaks in Underwear Bomb Plot -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. leaks on al-Qaeda plot could jeopardize CIA work: lawmakers -- Al Arabiya
Mukasey: White House leaking too much info on terror plots -- Washington Times
Was word of thwarted al Qaeda bomb plot leaked too soon? -- John Miller, CBS

My Comment: Everyone knows that these leaks came from the White House. Here is an easy prediction .... this investigation is going to go nowhere.

White House Trying To Stop Intelligence Leaks

U.S. Pressing Its Crackdown Against Leaks -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Stephen J. Kim, an arms expert who immigrated from South Korea as a child, spent a decade briefing top government officials on the dangers posed by North Korea. Then last August he was charged with violating the Espionage Act — not by aiding some foreign adversary, but by revealing classified information to a Fox News reporter.

Mr. Kim’s case is next in line in the Obama administration’s unprecedented crackdown on leaks, after the crumbling last week of the case against a former National Security Agency official, Thomas A. Drake. Accused of giving secrets to The Baltimore Sun, Mr. Drake pleaded guilty to a minor charge and will serve no prison time and pay no fine.

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My Comment: In the age of the internet and organizations like Wikileaks .... I wish the administration the best in trying to stop the impossible.

Pentagon Works To Stop Future Wikileaks Releases

How The Pentagon Aims To Prevent More Wikileaks Releases -- Christian Science Monitor

After the Wikileaks release of 400,000 documents on Iraq, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn explained some of the new monitoring tools being considered.

The Pentagon is looking at ways to increase security of its classified files among its own personnel after Wikileaks' release of 400,000 classified documents on Iraq and the expected leak of tens of thousands more.

Visiting Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn told a group of reporters late Tuesday that one of the measures being considered were checks that would flag suspicious access to data, similar to the alerts by credit cards companies designed to prevent fraudulent charges.

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My Comment: I live In Quebec, and in the 1990s the police discovered that some government employees in the license bureau were providing confidential and home information to biker gangs who were at war with each other. In response to this grievous abuse of information, government agencies (including police departments) installed software that tracked unauthorized or suspicious computer usage. The Pentagon could (and should) do the same thing, and in return I am sure that it will stop (or red flag) any future abuse and/or unauthorized use on their computer networks.

U.S. Army Updates Their Rule Book To Counter Another Wikileaks Scenario

WikiLeaks Sparks Army Change? Spy Rules Updated -- CBS News

Army Espionage Rule Book Revised to Require Troops to Alert Authorities if They Suspect Classified Leaks to Media

The Army has updated its 17-year-old rule book on espionage to specifically require that troops alert authorities if they suspect classified leaks to the media.

The revision comes on the heels of the service's WikiLeaks debacle. Earlier this year, an Army intelligence analyst was charged with providing a classified video to WikiLeaks, an anti-war organization that runs what it describes as a whistleblower Web site.

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Update: Army Updates Spy Rules After WikiLeaks -- Military.com/AP

My Comment: A belated recognition that with the web and the ease to transmit information .... the Army must do something. Unfortunately, their recommendations are insufficient and inadequate to counter what is a reality for every soldier and person on the planet ... they have access to information and they access to the web, and I am sure that in any group there will be dissatisfied individuals who will use their position and access to the web to transmit sensitive information.

U.S. Government Starting To Crack Down On Those Who Leak Intelligence Secrets?

Ex-Contractor Charged With Leaking Secrets -- Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—A former State Department contractor allegedly leaked information from a "top secret" intelligence report on North Korea to a Fox News reporter, according to federal charges disclosed Friday.

A District of Columbia grand-jury indictment of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim accused him of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and false statements. The indictment was filed Aug. 19 and unsealed on Friday.

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More News On The Case Of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim

U.S. analyst charged with leak to news reporter -- Reuters
Ex-State Department Contractor Charged With Disclosing Defense Information -- Bloomberg
State Department analyst charged with leaking information about North Korea -- The Telegraph
Justice Department Indicts Contractor in Alleged Leak -- Newsweek
Federal contractor charged with leaking top secret North Korea intel to Fox News -- Canadian Press