On a number of occasions I've noted that the Obama administration has taken a schizophrenic approach to the raid that led to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.
On the one hand, the administration refuses to release the bin Laden death photos and the details of the reportedly honorific burial the terrorist mastermind received at sea. Why? Because the information might harm our nation's security by getting al Qaeda terrorists upset.
On the other hand, administration officials have improperly leaked information to two Hollywood filmmakers behind the film Zero Dark Thirty because the film was initially timed to boost President Obama's reelection.
As exposed by liberal New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd:
So when Judicial Watch later learned specifically that CIA Director Leon Panetta let loose some secrets at an awards ceremony with Zero Dark Thirty filmmaker Mark Boal in the room (and not properly credentialed), we knew records detailing the event would not be easy to obtain.
We were right. And now we've been forced, once again, to go to court to get them.
On June 21, 2013, we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the CIA seeking access to records identifying attendees at the June 24, 2011, awards ceremony for individuals involved in the search for and killing of Osama bin Laden. The lawsuit also seeks all records of communications from CIA employees regarding the attendance of Mark Boal at the event.
Specifically, here's what we're after pursuant to our original December 19, 2012, FOIA request:
- Any and all guest lists or other records identifying individuals who attended and/or were invited to attend the June 24, 2011 awards ceremony at CIA Headquarters for individuals involved in the search for, and killing of, Osama bin Laden
- Any and all records of communication between any official, employee, or representative of the Central Intelligence Agency and any other party regarding the attendance of Mr. Mark Boal at the aforementioned awards ceremony.
By letter dated December 27, 2012, the CIA acknowledged receiving our request on December 19, 2012. The letter stated that it was unlikely the CIA could respond to the request within 20 working days as required by law, blithely adding, "You have the right to consider our honest appraisal as a denial of your request and you may appeal to the Agency Release Panel."
Here's the issue. Because the statement was not technically an "adverse determination" within the meaning of the law, no administrative appeal was possible. Therefore Judicial Watch had to file its June 21, 2013 FOIA lawsuit.
On June 5, 2013 Politico summed up the concerns regarding Panetta's disclosures during the event:
Panetta also discussed classified information designated as "top secret" and "secret" during his presentation at the awards ceremony, according to a draft Pentagon inspector general's report published Wednesday by the Project on Government Oversight.
Now, according to a CIA news release, the purpose of the ceremony was to honor "the dedication and commitment of CIA officers, military service members, and Intelligence Community partners for their work on the historic operation that concluded the hunt for Usama Bin Ladin." But the guest list also included filmmaker Boal, who had been invited to attend what Fox News reported as "a speech classified as secret to a group of CIA attendees."
During the speech, according to the draft Pentagon inspector general's report, "Director Panetta specifically recognized the unit that conducted the raid and identified the ground commander by name." The draft report added, "Director Panetta also provided DoD information, identified by relevant Original Classification Authorities as TOP SECRET...."
Curiously, the final inspector general's report omitted any reference to Panetta's speech, a Pentagon spokesperson saying the matter had been referred to the CIA IG.
So what was Leon Panetta's defense for his loose lips? "The CIA isn't corrupt, it's incompetent!"
"He has no idea who all is in the audience. He was told everyone got the requisite clearances," said the source, who asked not to be named.
Whether Leon Panetta was personally aware of Boal's presence is an open question. (Reason number one why we need the records.) But what cannot be denied is that the Obama administration has knowingly provided classified details to the filmmakers while hiding behind a bogus "national security" argument regarding the photos and burial records.
For example, in August 2012 - after having repeatedly been told by the Obama administration that nothing inappropriate had been leaked - Judicial Watch obtained "overlooked" documents from the CIA and the Department of Defense (DOD) through a FOIA lawsuit regarding meetings and communications between government agencies, Boal, and film director Kathryn Bigelow, in which the filmmakers were apparently provided classified details about the bin Laden assault.
The documents, which the CIA and DOD held back for eight months, revealed that the Obama administration sought to have "high visibility" into bin Laden-related projects, and granted Boal and Bigelow unusual access to agency information in preparation for their film.
In a June 15, 2011, email to Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Benjamin Rhodes, then-Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Doug Wilson noted that "Boal has been working with us and with the CIA (via George Little) for initial context briefings - at DoD this has been provided by Mike Vickers, and at CIA by relevant officials with the full knowledge and full approval/support of Director Panetta."
Just one month after the Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuit revelations, the Pentagon Inspector General made a criminal referral to the Holder Department of Justice (DOJ) implicating Undersecretary of Defense Michael Vickers in the improper release of classified information. Obama administration officials later disclosed in sworn court documents related to the Judicial Watch lawsuit that the sensitive information released to Bigelow and Boal could cause an "unnecessary security and counterintelligence risk" if released to the public. To date, the Holder DOJ has failed to file any charges against those responsible for the leaks.
Panetta's disclosures at the CIA ceremony with Mark Boal present, along with the leaks revealed in the earlier documents obtained by Judicial Watch, provide conclusive backing to the serious charge that the Obama administration has played fast and loose with national security information in order to help Hollywood filmmakers make a pro-Obama film.
In light of the Manning conviction and Snowden drama, it is clear that the Obama administration is more than a little two-faced when it comes to enforcing the law on illegal leaks.
Until next week...
Tom Fitton
President
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Thanks.
BIN LADEN IS NOT DEAD ( THAT IS MY BET ) THE NAME OBAMA IS THE KEY WORD .
When all is said and done, we don't really know that it was Bin Ladin.. none were permitted to view the body and is was disposed of in a manor that would insure no one would ever be able to prove one way or another. Personally I don't believe it was him, just another lie Obama has told the American people. And what happened to our Seals afterwards, an accident?
2 months after the LOOSE LIP conference, we had an enormous loss of life of our SEALS and others under very suspicious circumstances. The military cremated the bodies of those lost without even getting any kind of permission to do so from their families. THIS ADM. IS ABSOLUTELY probably the most dangerous enemy of the United States in our history