Report: Leon Panetta Was The Source Of The Leak That Revealed The Navy SEAL Unit That Killed Osama Bin Laden

Leon E. Panetta, right, takes the oath of office as the 23rd U.S. secretary of defense during a Pentagon ceremony, July 1, 2011. Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson administered the oath in the secretary’s office. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

Report: Leon Panetta Revealed Classified SEAL Unit Info -- Politico

Former CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed the name of the Navy SEAL unit that carried out the Osama Bin Laden raid and named the unit’s ground commander at a 2011 ceremony attended by Zero Dark Thirty filmmaker Mark Boal, according to a draft Pentagon inspector general’s report obtained by a watchdog group.

Panetta also disclosed classified information designated as “top secret” and “secret” during his presentation at the CIA awards ceremony, says the draft IG report published Wednesday by the Project on Government Oversight.

The report does not make clear whether Panetta was aware that Boal was present at the ceremony, held under a tent at the CIA complex on June 24, 2011. “Approximately 1300” people from the military and the intelligence community were on hand for the event, according to a CIA press release issued the following week.

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Update: Leon Panetta gave Hollywood exec top secret info on Bin Laden raid's SEAL unit, leader -- Examiner

My Comment: When Valerie Plame was revealed to be a CIA employee .... wall to wall coverage from the press for months/years. Naming the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden and hence making every soldier in SEAL Team 6 a marked man by Al Qaeda hit squads .... little if any coverage from the press.

Former Obama Intel Official: White House Reponsible For Current 'Trend' Of Leaks

Former Obama Intel Official: 'Trend' Of Leaks Being Set At 'Top Of This Administration' -- Weekly Standard

Former Obama intelligence official Dennis Blair, an admiral, blamed leaks on the "trend" being set "at the top of this administration":

"You've heard the press's side there," said the ABC host. "Admiral Blair, you were in the White House. The leak investigations have been quite intense in the Obama White House."

"Right," said Blair, the former Director of National Intelligence. "And they have been directed, the ones that I knew about, mostly against the U.S. government employees who were talking with reporters which is where I think they should be directed. I know of no institution in America better able to defend itself than the press. So I think that will work out okay. But what I think is that the leaking at the top of this administration ... is what sets the tone for those below. And I think that most of the -- most of what administration spokesmen should talk about with reporters should be talked about on the record, with their names attached to it. To set an example so that those further down the line don't think that leaking is the way it's done, the way it should be done."

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My Comment: Memo to the White House ..... your former Director of National Intelligence is sending you a wise and very clear message. But will the White House listen .... if the recent pass few months is any indication .... I will have to say no.

Is The White House Targeting The Press?

Report: Justice Department Targeted TWO Fox News Channel Reporters And A Producer For Talking With Government Sources -- Daily Mail

* Inspector General report found agents read emails, tracked phone records
* Reporters James Rosen and William La Jeunesse, producer Mike Levine were the subject of subpoenas but never notified by the government
* Fox News says U.S. journalism 'up until now has always been a free press'
* An FBI agent swore out an affidavit claiming that Rosen had broken the law, 'at the very least, either as an aider, abetter and/or co-conspirator'
* New allegations add fuel to the fire started with a DOJ investigation into the Associated Press

The Fox News Channel is outraged over new revelations that three of its reporting staffers were targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice in criminal investigations related to their attempts to obtain information from government sources.

James Rosen, the network's chief Washington correspondent, has become a First Amendment cause celebre over his treatment by the Obama administration. But the DOJ, Fox says, also investigated the Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter William La Jeunesse and Fox News producer Mike Levine.

Rosen, according to affidavits filed by FBI agents, was considered a possible criminal co-conspirator.

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More News On The White House Targeting FOX News

Justice Department affidavit labels Fox News journalist as possible ‘co-conspirator’ -- FOX News
Justice Department’s scrutiny of Fox News reporter James Rosen in leak case draws fire -- Washington Post
Obama administration targets Fox News reporter in 'chilling' echo of AP probe -- Christian Science Monitor
An Inside Look at How DOJ Goes After Reporters, Not Just Leakers -- Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
Beyond Rosen and the AP: Who Else Has the DoJ Put Under Surveillance? -- Garance Franke-Ruta, The Atlantic

My Comment: Last week it was the AP. Today .... it is FOX News. Tomorrow .... stay tune.

FBI Continues It`s Investigation On Capturing Those Responsible For The Stuxnet Leaks

FBI Is Increasing Pressure On Suspects In Stuxnet Inquiry -- Washington Post

Federal investigators looking into disclosures of classified information about a cyberoperation that targeted Iran’s nuclear program have increased pressure on current and former senior government officials suspected of involvement, according to people familiar with the investigation.

The inquiry, which was started by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. last June, is examining leaks about a computer virus developed jointly by the United States and Israel that damaged nuclear centrifuges at Iran’s primary uranium enrichment plant. The U.S. code name for the operation was Olympic Games, but the wider world knew the mysterious computer worm as Stuxnet.

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My Comment: While technology is making it easier to leak information .... it has also make it easier to catch those who leak. There is a lot of info in this post ..... read it all.

Ex-C.I.A. Officer First To Face Prison For A Leak

Ex-Officer Is First In C.I.A. To Face Prison For A Leak -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Looking back, John C. Kiriakou admits he should have known better. But when the F.B.I. called him a year ago and invited him to stop by and “help us with a case,” he did not hesitate.

In his years as a C.I.A. operative, after all, Mr. Kiriakou had worked closely with F.B.I. agents overseas. Just months earlier, he had reported to the bureau a recruiting attempt by someone he believed to be an Asian spy.

“Anything for the F.B.I.,” Mr. Kiriakou replied.

Only an hour into what began as a relaxed chat with the two agents — the younger one who traded Pittsburgh Steelers talk with him and the senior investigator with the droopy eye — did he begin to realize just who was the target of their investigation.

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My Comment: Ex-CIA officer John C. Kiriakou is right .... he should have known better .... but ignorance of the law is no excuse. Even if you are the best officer in the agency .... if you break the law there are going to be consequences. John C. Kiriakou knew that he was breaking the law .... hence the punishment. But 30 months in jail .... he will disagree but from my perspective his punishment could have been much worse.

Will The White House Stop Leaking National Security Secrets?

GOP Senators To White House: Stop Leaking National Security Secrets -- Washington Free Beacon

A group of Republican senators is demanding to know why the White House continues to leak to the press highly classified information that “stands in direct contradiction to the information briefed to congressional oversight committees,” according to a letter sent Friday to President Barack Obama.

Senior Obama administration officials have taken to the press in recent weeks to provide anonymous and often highly classified information to reporters in an effort to bolster the president’s national security credentials following a deadly attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, the lawmakers claim.

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My Comment: The cynic in me tells me that this is the tea kettle telling the coffee pot that it is black. But the GOP senators do have a point .... in all my years of following national security issues, I have never seen the quantity and quality of the leaks that are coming from this White House. From Wikileaks to intel on the Bin Laden raid .... this has been a gold mine for someone like me who likes to read about secrets. But what has been hilarious with all of these leaks is the media's response .... consistently saying the same thing .... that no one is leaking to them, but the info that they are getting is through hard work and analysis.

Leaks From Washington Are Endangering Lives In Libya

Issa’s Benghazi Document Dump Exposes Several Libyans Working With The U.S. -- Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) compromised the identities of several Libyans working with the U.S. government and placed their lives in danger when he released reams of State Department communications Friday, according to Obama administration officials.

Issa posted 166 pages of sensitive but unclassified State Department communications related to Libya on the committee's website afternoon as part of his effort to investigate security failures and expose contradictions in the administration's statements regarding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Amb. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

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My Comment: The Republicans are also accusing the Democrats of endangering lives. What's my take .... both sides are right.

Current And Former U.S. Soldiers Warned Not To Publicize Secrets

Adm. William H. McRaven. Wikipedia

Adm. McRaven Threatens Legal Action Against Troops Telling Secrets, After Raid Book Announced -- Washington Post/AP

WASHINGTON — Special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven warned his troops, current and former, that he would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause fellow forces harm.

“We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate,” the four-star commander wrote, in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community Thursday, and obtained by The Associated Press.

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Update: No Easy Week for Outed Navy SEAL Author -- Atlantic Wire

My Comment: The U.S. military through Adm. McRaven is making it very clear that they will use legal means to go after current AND former soldiers who reveal secrets to the public .... and in my opinion the Admiral is right. But I wished the Pentagon also showed the same bluntness when it comes to their political bosses and their long history of leaking military operations and secrets.

U.S. Senator Feinstein Backtracks On Comments That The White House Leaked Secrets

Photo: US Senator Feinstein

Feinstein Comments On National Security Leaks Emerge As Campaign Issue -- ABC News

In remarks at the World Affairs Council, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed concern Monday about leaks of national security information, saying, “The White House has to understand that some of this is coming from its ranks. I don’t know specifically where, but I think they have to begin to understand that and do something about it.”

Referring to David Sanger’s book “Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power,” Feinstein said, “There’s one book they can read and they’ll see it very clearly. And I think that should be the case.”

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More News On US Senator Feinstein Backtracking On Intel Leak Remarks

Feinstein backtracks on statement that White House leaked secrets -- The Hill
Feinstein regrets speculating about leaks -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Feinstein walks back leaks accusation -- Politico
Feinstein backs off on leaks speculation -- UPI
Feinstein hedges on White House leak charge -- Washington Times
Dem senator: I shouldn't have speculated on security leaks -- CBS
Feinstein hits Romney for using her comments in speech -- CNN

My Comment: I would love to know who in the White House made the phone call telling her to ....cough cough .... "shut-up".