Maddow Rips Rep. Pete Hoekstra For Leaking Sensitive National Security Information
Maddow Rips Rep. Pete Hoekstra For Leaking Sensitive National Security Information
Last night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow accused Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee and current gubernatorial candidate, of leaking sensitive intelligence information to the press. Hoekstra told the Washington Post this week that Maj. Nidal M. Hasan had e-mail conversations with a radical Yemeni cleric, Anwar al-Aulaqi. Maddow excoriated Hoekstra for letting Aulaqi know that his e-mail is being monitored:
MADDOW: Why is it Pete Hoekstra who’s taking it upon himself to tell the press that this radical cleric is having his email read by U.S. intelligence agencies? The FBI had not said publicly that this cleric had been emailing Hasan. The CIA, the NSA, the White House — nobody else had reported this cleric was e-mailing Hasan. This is just Pete Hoekstra letting us know — and letting the radical cleric who is under surveillance know — that he’s under surveillance.
Maddow’s guest, The Nation’s Chris Hayes, said Hoekstra’s reputation is “of an epic grand-stander.” Watch it:
Asked if there was a concern that Hoekstra was leaking sensitive information, a Republican spokesman for the House intelligence committee told Maddow’s show, “I do not know, guessing, since [Aulaqi] was deported, he knew he was a target anyways.” Maddow noted that Aulaqi wasn’t “deported,” but rather left the country voluntarily, according to the 9-11 Commission. (Aulaqi had contacts with some of the 9-11 hijackers.)
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) said, “I am disappointed that some have rushed to the news media with unfounded information in order to gain headlines.”
Hoekstra has been trying to use the Ft. Hood shootings to engage in a political attack against Obama, claiming “administration officials delayed briefing members of Congress about the alleged gunman,” thus raising “red flags” about what the White House was hiding. “What do they know that they don’t want us to know?” Hoekstra said on Fox News.
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This isn’t the first time Hoekstra’s leaking classified intel. Any government official that leaks classified information to the press should be sanctioned.
At the very least, Hoekstra should be stripped of his position on the intelligence committee.
And I feel a great deal of sadness for the people of Michigan, as THIS could be their next governor.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:34 pmWhy would Hoekstra leak that information to the press? Simple. He doesn’t care about Al Qaeda. He doesn’t care about Osama bin Laden. He doesn’t even really care about Major Hasan or those who got killed at Fort Hood as much as he cares about bringing down President Obama.
Anything may be destroyed to meet that objective, in his mind.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:35 pmIs this maroon (Hoekstra) _really_ so clueless he just blathers out sensitive information on national TV?
The mind just boggles.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:36 pmi thought it was a felony to leak classified information which could put the country in danger. which isn’t hoekstra being frog walked down the steps of congress as we speak. at the very least he should be charged with tampering with an ongoing investigation.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:36 pmI saw this last night.
Rachel was particularly AWESOME nailing Hoekstra! So was her guest, Chris Hayes.
In fact, I got a bit concerned for her that she might hear from the NBC brass about this one. I hope not!
November 11th, 2009 at 2:36 pmYes, it’s true that there was a fairly good chance Anwar al-Aulaqi figured out before this that his e-mails were being monitored. That doesn’t make it a certainty.
Furthermore, even if al-Aulaqi knew his e-mails were being monitored, those corresponding with him probably didn’t. But they do now.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:39 pmHoekstra and intelligence… isn’t that a contradiction of terms?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:40 pm“This is just Pete Hoekstra letting us know — and letting the radical cleric who is under surveillance know — that he’s under surveillance.”
Since Bush and the wet pants repugies passed the Unpatriot Act it can be assumed WE ALL are under surveillance.
Send a conservative a email with catch phrases like “terrorist”, “suicide” “jihad” “bomb” “c4″ and they too can be assured of having their communications intercepted.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pmNotice a pattern here: when it comes to trying to destroy or disgrace the president, the Republicans will do literally everything they can even if it means wrecking investigations, hurting others, etc.
This congressman should have the book thrown at him, but probably won’t as his buddies will stick up for him.
I wonder who was the leak with that CBS/Afghan troop thing? Hoekstra? Most likely, yet it could easily be another conservative wishing to push the president their way on the issue.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pmHey Hoekstra! You find out why Cheney told NORAD to stand down and we’ll get behind your effort to find out the truth about this one. Deal?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:45 pmLoose lips sink ships.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:49 pmgood luck in your run for governor of michigan hoesktra. what’s going to be your platform, “let detroit fail” like the rest of your repukeliscum buddies were chanting when it came time to loan the big three money?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:50 pmNot only are Republicans screwing up any legislation…
… they are screwing up National Security.
They want an attack on the US so they can point the finger at Obama…
…they want to be in power so bad, they would kill thousands of Americans to do it.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pmMaddow Rips Rep. Pete Hoekstra For Leaking Sensitive National Security Information
– - All together: “IOKIYAR.”
November 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pmBob says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
More like IOKIYAA: asswhole, republican, same thing.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pmRachel’s got more guts than all those p*ssies on CROX put together – and multiplied by a hundred. No, make that a MILLION.
At CROX, it’s all ACORN, all the time.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:59 pmHoekstras next attack on Obama:
November 11th, 2009 at 3:02 pm“SO now when our special forces are preparing to capture Bin Laden in the next few days, why is Obama at the Copenhagen summit instead of focusing 100% on the Bin Laden operation outside Kabul? I think this neglect of our national security is very concerning.”
He’s a repiggie.
What else would you expect?
Those repiggies really are garbage.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:02 pmThere is no line Republicans will not cross for political gain. Ask Valerie Plame.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:02 pmbeing on the outside of decision making is killing them.
Get used to it fella’s.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:08 pmThe Right are traitors.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pmSo……we all know who the idiots and liars are. I hope the people that started the ball rolling on getting idiots like this out of office or pushed into irrelevancy don’t get complacent in 2010! The ignorant far-right is already crowing about their chances in 2010. We can not let these America-hating people back in power.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:13 pmHoekstra revealing such information…hmmm…during a time of war no less…that would make him, at the least, unpatriotic, opportunistic, and quite possibly traitorous…why does Hoekstra hate America and our troops?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:16 pmI’m re-reading Al Franken’s book, “Lies, and the Lying Liars That Tell Them”, and it’s interesting how he talked about what the right basically did to Clinton his first term in office. They tried everything in their power to try and make him fail, and got the base in a frenzy by pushing every conspiracy theory. Remember, they called Clinton a socialist and a Marxist, too.
The similarities of that time to what these traitorous Rethuglicans are doing today is simply astounding.
It amazes me as to the level of hate cancervatives have for a Democrat in power, and to how low they will stoop to exploit that hate.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pmThe Republicans and their minions have declared war on Obama and the Dems. Hoeksta is just one of many that are doing everything to obstruct and delegitimize the administration. They believe that their actions will lead them back to power. The Dems have been too nice with these people and it is time to strike back. Republicans excoriated Dems who opposed Bush and his wars. Dems need to point their finger at the Republicans and say that they are undermining the country’s foreign policy and security.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:42 pmI’m tired of these Repugs who leak information to score political points. We have Repugs, go over seas and bash out president, bash our ecomomy. Hell we have had Repugs leak classified information that if anyone leaked it, their ass would be thrown in jail. I’m tired how these people in the South and West re-elect leaders who for their own interests and will block legislation and do nothing. It is unfair how Progressive are held hostage by these old, white, Global Warming denying, bigoted men.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:45 pmI found it interesting that the Morning Joe show mentioned this this morning as I was leaving. I only got to catch a couple of minutes of what Rachel was saying ad Joe and Mika said they were going to “debate” if Hoekstra was politizing the Fort hood incident.
Anyone happen to catch the outcome of their “debate”?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:46 pmRemember the good ole days when people who leaked national security information were clapped in irons and put in the brig? Hoekstra is aiding and abetting the enemy. Doesn’t that mean treason charges? Funny how things change as the world gets more dangerous.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pmO/T:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/hannity-to-address-protest-video-questions-tonight/?
Hannity’s hand caught in the cookie jar?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:55 pmSome footage is too good not to use over and over again…
I find it strange that these same rethugs had no problem at all with the Bush WH outing a CIA agent and couldn’t think of any questions the WH should be asked. Indeed, if memory serves, the rethugs thought no questions should be asked at all and do so would be an act of sedition and unpatriotic to boot.
It would seem that worm has turned, wouldn’t it? Strange how that works . . .
November 11th, 2009 at 3:58 pmOff Topic…. The latest Gallup poll shows Repugs support rising. I can’t be true can it? Then I ask myself, ‘Are people that stupid?’ The answer, unfortunately, is YES.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:01 pmIt really bothers me is the repeated pattern of the investigative side leaking information. Additionally, the little tidbits they leak appear bad in and of themselves but could have explanations if one gets the bigger picture.
It sure makes it look like they’re trying to stack the deck.
It is a simple matter of fairness.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:02 pmMissmolly @ #2, You nailed it. The sad thing is that most repugs feel that way, along with beck, and limpass.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:02 pmYes, Wedgewood. I seem to recall during what was considered ‘debate’ about the Patriot Act that no-one was even allowed to say anything about phone calls overseas being monitored. As though the bad guys didn’t already probably know that they were being listened to.
There was a lot of hysterical finger-pointing by the Republicans that the other side was giving away state secrets by questioning the legality of all that eavesdropping.
But, shouting from the rooftops a particular person’s name who was being monitored – well, apparently that’s ok! If you’re a repug…
November 11th, 2009 at 4:05 pmjalevitator says:
……The ignorant far-right is already crowing about their chances in 2010. We can not let these America-hating people back in power.
I shudder to think what these ignorant, homophobic, racist, criminal, self-serving mf’ers will unleash upon us if they ever again are in the majority. It will make the bush years seem like a cakewalk.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:08 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
belaccifer @29 – Jon Stewart strikes again! But the ever-slimy Hannity the Manatee has said he’ll address that tonight.
To draw in more viewers.
And ratings.
Shameless. But, hey, that’s what he does. You distort, we deride.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:11 pmPeter thinks like this:
November 11th, 2009 at 4:16 pmAll U.S. broadcast signals
Die at the border
I think Rachel Maddow would make one h&ll of a president.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:27 pmorangy says:
Did Hoekstra reveal that the US was intercepting and reading this gentleman’s emails or not?
Do you think that was a good thing?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pmsscncturn64 says:
I think Rachel Maddow would make one h&ll of a president
Better than what we have now for sure! At least she’s ‘murican and is for queers gettin’ hitched, what more could you want?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:34 pmHey londra, Why do you come to TP. You spew alot of BS here that you get from limpass, and beck. You obviously know how to read, so havent you realized that the libs on this site are intelligent. You are out of your league.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:39 pmorangy says:
And?
Was it a good idea for Hoekstra to tell the Washington Post that we did know where he was?
Did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason the Commission was ‘officially unable’ to locate and interview this gentleman?
A reason that might make Hoekstra’s political posturing even more destructive and absurd?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:42 pmorangy says:
And you happen to be avoiding the question… would you care to answer it?
Was Hoekstra right to reveal that we knew where he was and who he was e-mailing?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:46 pmlondra and orangy are not interested in having any kind of debate on any of the issues on TP. They come here to highjack threads and get people to pay attention to them. They have nothing to say, and really don’t know shit about any of the subjects that is posted. What a waste of time and a life.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pmorangy says:
Really?
Do YOU think it was sensitive information?
Something that Hoekstra should have been more circumspect in discussing?
We’re talking about you for the moment…
November 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pmorangy says:
True… but I’m asking your opinion of the actual topic of the thread… do YOU think Hoekstra was right to release this information?
Do you think it was ’sensitive’?
Can you answer?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:53 pmorangy, answer the question from post#50, and lets see if you know anything about the issue at hand, or are you just going to make my point.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pmDave N says:
belaccifer @29 – Jon Stewart strikes again! But the ever-slimy Hannity the Manatee has said he’ll address that tonight.
Do you really think Hannity is going to admit and apologize for misleading people? My bet is he going to blame someone on staff for the show. He will disclaim any responsibility for this matter.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:00 pmorangy says:
Ahh, and so you believe the information that he was on a ‘watch list’ was the sensitive part?
Was said terrorist aware that we were reading his email correspondence before Hoekstra’s announcement?
That seems to be the rub, doesn’t it?
Were you this blase when the New York Times disclosed (with no specifics mind you) the ‘warrantless wiretap’ program that the NSA is running?
I doubt it… see the SPECIFIC difference?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:01 pmorangy, he may have known he was on a watch list, but until Hoekstra leaked info that his e-mails were being read, he didn’t know just how much he was being watched. How much intel will we lose from this guy now that he knows for sure that he is being listened too?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:02 pmWhole nuther story.
You’re right… one had no specific information or intelligence attached. Just said that the NSA had the program…
The other SPECIFICALLY told a target of our surveillance that we had been reading his private emails for some time… you still think he uses those email addresses?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:05 pmorangy, trying to change the subject, with another “ya but” the NY Times did this or that does not change the fact that someone who is a member of this government leaked information that this person did not know for sure was happening.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:06 pmorangy, apology? what apology? You need to quit drinking your bath water.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:08 pmSee the disclosure of the electronic surveillance PROGRAM seems t have had no effect on al-Aulaqi’s habits, despite the right-win rage…
Do you think that KNOWING for certain that we had access to his private emails will have a similarly negligible effect on the intelligence we can gather from him?
Are you intentionally dense?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:09 pmorangy says
November 11th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Said terrorist is fully aware that he is on a terrorist watch list. It’s public info so it’s not sensitive material. Next?
_____________________________________________________________
Please provide a link to this “public” terrorist watch list. You know, the one that publicly announces whose e-mails are under surveillance.
I haven’t been able to google it. But if it’s public information, it should be out on the internet somewhere, right? Or is there some other way to access this “public” information?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:09 pmorangy says:
Explain please. With SPECIFICS.
Is that difficult to do? Not so much.
Does your current ‘position’ make any sense? Not so much.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:13 pmorangy, you are in way over your head on this issue, because you think this is a left or right issues. It wouldn’t matter if Hoekstra was a lefty liberal, what he did was wrong, and he should be taken to task for it.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:14 pmRinse, repeat.
Is that specific? Or is it more spitballin’?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:18 pmorangy, hey tough guy, you calling me a liar?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:22 pmExplain how the NYT’s writing a story about a PROGRAM with no specifics is more damaging than Hoekstra telling a target that his email’s have been intercepted and read SPECIFICALLY.
Then explain how a member of Congress is more free to discuss these things that are shared with him in confidence than a newspaper whose job it is to report stories…
Thank you.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:22 pmMaddow is a dyke POS.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:22 pmTraitors like Hoekstra leave the US more dangerous by leaking this information should be arrested and tried. He’s giving aid to the enemy.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:23 pmconservative puke, and your just as dumb as a sack of hammers.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:28 pmHi conservative guy.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:31 pmI think I’m missing a bit of information here.
How do we jump to the conclusion that the Imam’s email is being “monitored”, other than the emails that would be in Dr. Hasan’s email inbox as a result of his replies to the doctor?
All Hoekstra acknowledged was the existence of a reply by the Imam, not of full scale monitoring/interception of all of the Imam’s emails.
Again, I think I’m missing something.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:35 pmThatsNotFunny says:
What Hoekstra revealed was that we knew about this contact OVER a year ago… which is why it was politically expedient for him to do so and how we can be fairly sure that neither party was aware of the interception at that time…
November 11th, 2009 at 5:39 pmorangy, pretty easy to call someone a liar when your not face to face with them isn’t it? I would love to meet you and then have you call me a liar, now that would be fun. In the world that I live in, you wouldn’t fair to well.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:06 pmWho remembers the New York Times leaking sensitive information about terrorist surveillance programs. I didn’t check if Ms. Maddow condemned this too. We should condemn both sides for not helping to keep America safe.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:32 pmJoe Biden revealed the location of his secret bunker. Well, maybe that will actually be helpful.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:36 pm#76 you’re just a dumb ass liberal.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:50 pmHo’stra is just another TRAITOR against the USA, from the party that includes the First Family of TREASON,
The Bush Crime Family.
Ronnie Reagan is with his MASTER Satan.
The others will follow.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:54 pmThis guy needs to be held accountable as a traitor, and hanged or shot in the public square.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:12 pmConservative guy…your just a plain ol’ dumb-ass!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:13 pmTRAITOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. A S S H O L E!!!!!!!!STUPID!!D U M B A S S!!!B L O W H A R D!!!!C O W A R D!!!!!!!!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:43 pmI agree “conservative guy” is an idiot. That’s nothing new for a republican.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:04 pmso, flames and partisanship aside, does anyone think this is maybe not as big a revelation as Rachel and everyone else are saying it is? Like, from a strictly technical, logical perspective.
I mean, all the article says is that they “intercepted” email from the imam, not at what point. That is to say, it reveals that someone’s email was compromised, not whose or where. So if the doc was using his .mil email (or a us-based third-party provider’s), as part of the followup investigation you’d expect the investigators to subpoena and read through his email, dig through his outbox, etc. There they would find the whole conversation thread, assuming this guy has email habits like most people (ie: keep everything forever).
Point being, we still can’t actually infer that the imam’s email service is compromised, just that we can recognize his name and identify his address. In fact, if his email provider’s sympathetic to radical Islam and hosted in a similarly sympathetic country, it may well be perfectly intact.
Or is there some deeper revelation in some other article or interview or something?
November 12th, 2009 at 2:47 amLondra
You are an ignorant punkass bigot. A stupid and worthless pile of dogshit. Just STFU and let the adults talk
November 12th, 2009 at 7:38 amorangy you are a liar. You are an ignorant pile of dogshit and a moronic punkass troll. Just STFU. You are stupid far too stupid to have anything to say worth the waste of life it takes to read the ignorant brainwashing you spew
November 12th, 2009 at 7:40 amorangy just kill yourself. You are too stupid to do mankind any other favors and the world will just flat out be a better place without a lying moron like you in it.
November 12th, 2009 at 7:42 amConservaTROLL YOU are an ignorant pile of dogshit. Just kill yourself
November 12th, 2009 at 7:43 amBuckie Boy says:
——————————————————————————–
Not only are Republicans screwing up any legislation…
… they are screwing up National Security.
They want an attack on the US so they can point the finger at Obama…
…they want to be in power so bad, they would kill thousands of Americans to do it.
Are you thinking perhaps another attack on some skyscapers? What city is next on the Neo-con’s hit list?
Silly Fascists and thier silly false flag atacks and manipulation of the dumbed down masses through fear.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:08 am