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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sea_biscuit who wrote (85887)	10/17/2007 1:36:39 PM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 93284

Internal CIA probe worries Congress aides Committee staffers voice concern that the independence of the agency's inspector general could be compromised. By Greg Miller Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 17, 2007 WASHINGTON — Congressional officials voiced new concern Tuesday over CIA Director Michael V. Hayden's decision to make the agency's inspector general the target of an internal probe. Seeking to defuse the issue, Robert L. Deitz, a senior CIA attorney in charge of the probe, briefed both the House and Senate intelligence committees Tuesday. But congressional aides said the sessions did little to assuage concerns that the inquiry could undermine the independence of the inspector general, the main in-house watchdog for the nation's leading spy service. "I don't think that we were satisfied with the discussion," said a Senate aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity. "They gave us their view, but I think there is a great deal of skepticism on our part over whether this is a smart thing for them to be doing." The congressional panels could hold formal hearings on the issue or otherwise put pressure on Hayden to alter the scope or nature of the inquiry, which former CIA officials have described as unprecedented. The probe is focused on the conduct of Inspector General John G. Helgerson. He has been accused of bias and unfair treatment by senior agency officials and veteran spies singled out for criticism in a series of internal reports. Some of the complaints are said to come from case officers involved in the CIA's terrorist detention and interrogation operations, which have been a focus of Helgerson's scrutiny for several years. Helgerson, who has held the inspector general position since 2002, also has been harshly critical of former CIA Director George J. Tenet and other senior officials for their roles in intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. CIA spokesman George Little confirmed that Deitz, who has long-standing ties to Hayden, had met with the House and Senate intelligence committees on Tuesday, but declined to discuss the information Deitz shared. "We don't think it's appropriate to comment one way or the other on discussions between agency officials and congressional staffers that occur in closed session," Little said. "And it's unfortunate that others have chosen not to hold to that standard." Deitz described the inquiry as a broad probe of the inspector general's conduct, according to sources familiar with the discussion. Deitz also said that the CIA was reluctant to invite an outside panel to review Helgerson's work, in part because that would require the agency to share information with outsiders on some of its most closely guarded activities, including its secret overseas prison system. A special President's Council on Integrity and Effectiveness was established to review allegations against government inspectors general. But CIA officials have characterized the probe as a management review that didn't rise to the level of enlisting outside help. Key lawmakers and former CIA officials have questioned that decision, saying it sets a confusing and potentially damaging precedent to have the CIA director investigate its inspector general. "Whatever conclusions one may draw about the motive for undertaking this," the Senate aide said, "it has the potential for sending a message to people that it is an attempt to undermine the work of the IG."

To: sea_biscuit who wrote (85887)	10/17/2007 3:41:44 PM
From: Skywatcher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

from the VACATION PRESIDENT!!!AAHAHAHAHHAA with a record unrivaled in our CENTURY of FAILURE! Bush Exhorts Congress to Work Harder By TERENCE HUNT (AP White House Correspondent) From Associated Press October 17, 2007 10:13 AM EDT WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday accused Congress of dragging its feet on key pieces of legislation, urging quick action on budget and children's health measures. He also urged the Democratic-controlled Congress to drop efforts to pass a House resolution labeling as genocide the World War I-era killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. With all the pressing responsibilities facing the nation, "One thing Congress should not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman Empire," he said. "Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by" since Democrats gained control in January of both the House and the Senate, Bush said. At a White House news conference, the president also said that Congress needs to act on mortgage relief for homeowners hit by the housing crisis, trade deals that would strengthen allies, legislation expanding U.S. markets and aid to military veterans. Bush also said that he opposes Turkey's desire to launch a military offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interest to send troops into Iraq," Bush said shortly before Turkey's parliament approved a cross-border military offensive against the Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. "Actually they have troops already stationed in Iraq and they've had troops stationed there for quite a while," he said. "We don't think it's in their interest to send more troops in." Bush said he talked about Turkey with Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, on Wednesday. He also noted that Tariq al-Hashimi, one of Iraq's vice presidents, was in Istanbul expressing that Iraq shares Turkey's concerns about terrorist activities, but that there's a better way to deal with the issue than having Turkey send additional troops into the country. "What I'm telling you is that there's a lot of dialogue going on and that's positive," he said. Bush used the news conference - his first since Sept. 20 - to prod the Democratic-controlled Congress to approve spending, education and health bills. It came just a day before the House will try to override his veto of a bill expanding a popular children's health program.