Head of Senate Intelligence Committee “Regrets Speculating”

BUT WAS THAT WHAT SHE DID?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Jul. 25, 2012) — On July 24, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that “the White House” was the source of at least some of the national security leaks which occurred in late May and early June of this year.

Today, Feinstein says she “regrets speculating” about the source of the leaks because she “doesn’t know” exactly who is responsible.  Her comments come after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared to accuse Obama personally of leaking the information about a joint venture with Israel to stop Iran from launching a nuclear weapon, Obama’s alleged list of “kill” targets, and intelligence used to capture Osama bin Laden last year.

Now Feinstein says that the leaks came from someone within “the Obama administration.”

Romney claimed that the leaks occurred for purposes of “political advantage” in an election year.  Romney called the leaks a “betrayal” of the country, while others have called it “treason.”  A definition of the latter uses the the word “betrayal” and equates it to “treachery.”

A different report states that Romney did not name Obama specifically, but asked “Exactly who in the White House betrayed these secrets? Did a superior authorize it?”

As a result of the leaks concerning Osama bin Laden’s location and subsequent demise by U.S. Navy SEALS, a Pakistani physician, Dr. Shakil Afridi,  was sentenced to 33 years in prison and is now reportedly cooking his own food because he fears his captors will poison him.  Convicted on a charge of treason, his life has already been threatened by the Pakistani Taliban. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated that Afridi has not committed a treasonous act against Pakistan and that the U.S. and Pakistan need to continue to work together against terrorism.

Feinstein had identified the White House yesterday in a televised interview with the World Affairs Council.  At that time, Feinstein had stressed that she believed that Obama was not the source, but that rather, the leaks had been initiated by someone within “the ranks” of the White House.

Today Feinstein stated that she knows “for a fact” that Obama is “troubled” about the leaks.  She mischaracterized the two U.S. attorneys assigned to conduct investigations into the national security breaches by calling them “independent,” as both report to putative Attorney General Eric Holder.  Holder had refused to allow a special prosecutor to begin a probe, as in the Watergate investigation of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, which eventually led to the resignation of President Richard M. NIxon.

It has been stated publicly that the Pentagon is not the source of the leaks and that they could be attributed to a “high-level individual.”  National security adviser Tom Donilon, who makes over $300,000/year from taxpayer dollars, has been named as a possible source.

If Donilon is the source, who authorized him to leak the information?