GOP lawmakers accuse White House of selective leaks on Syria raid David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Monday October 22, 2007



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Print This Email This President Bush has consistently refused to comment on leaked claims that US intelligence believes the target of an Israeli raid in Syria on September 6 was a nuclear rector being built for Syria by North Korea. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Ileana Ross-Lehtinen (R-FL), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, say that they have been briefed on the intelligence but many members of Congress have not. They are accusing the administration in a Wall Street Journal op-ed (sub. req.) of using selective leaks, thereby "preventing due diligence and oversight." The lawmakers write, "We are concerned that, although the Bush administration refuses to discuss the Israeli airstrike with the American people or with the majority of Congress, it has not hesitated to give information on background to the press to shape this story to its liking. New York Times writer David Sanger authored and coauthored articles on Oct. 14 and 15 that appeared to reflect extensive input from senior policy makers. Washington Post writer Glenn Kessler coauthored an article on Sept. 21 that also cited inside information from the administration. We believe this is unacceptable." The White House has denied authorizing any leaks and is not commenting on Hoekstra's remarks. Hoekstra and Ros-Lehtinen are both known for their support of a more aggressive foreign policy towards Iran. In 2006, Larisa Alexandrovna reported for RAW STORY on Hoekstra's approval of Vice President Cheney's renewed use of former Iran-Contra middleman Manucher Ghorbanifar to help frustrate diplomatic talks between the US and Iran. A follow-up article by Alexandrovna revealed that Hoekstra himself had met with Ghorbanifar in the late spring or early summer of 2006 in a possible attempt to create "falsified intelligence" that could lead to war with Iran. Alexandrovna has also reported that the target of the Israeli airstrike was not a nuclear facility and, most recently, that sources in the intelligence community believe Vice President Cheney is behind the selective leaks concerning the incident. One intelligence official told Alexandrovna, "The allegations that North Korea was helping to build a nuclear reactor have not been substantiated by US intelligence, but that hasn't stopped Dick Cheney and his minions at the NSC, Elliot Abrams and Steve Hadley, from leaking the information [to the press], which appears to be misleading in the extreme." The following video is from CNN.com, broadcast on October 21, 2007.



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