Dear Eric Holder: You're Doing Recusal Wrong
Let me start this post by saying I think it is absolutely appropriate for Eric Holder to have recused himself from the UndieBomb 2.0 investigation, in part because -- as someone read into the UndieBomb 2.0 operation, he was interviewed by the…
The White House's Imminent Benghazi Coup de Grace
As I was watching the Eric Holder hearing and news came out that the White House had released 94 pages of Benghazi emails, I thought at first it was a strategy of whack-a-scandal. The Benghazi scandal is not one; the AP and IRS stories are genuinely…
There's a Place for Resolving Disputes, and the Administration Chose Not To Use It
As I was writing my flurry of posts on the AP call record seizure yesterday, former National Security Council Spokesperson Tommy Vietor and I were chatting about the facts of the case on Twitter. He disputes two of the AP's claims: that they…
Putin's Game
'I declare it's marked out just like a large chessboard!' Alice said at last. 'There ought to be some men moving about somewhere--and so there are!' she added in a tone of delight, and her heart began to beat quick with excitement as she went…
Pakistan's Next Government Beginning to Take Shape
Most of the results from Saturday's historic election in Pakistan are in. The biggest surprise is that Imran Khan's PTI party, which had been viewed as a possible upset winner, fell to third place behind the outgoing PPP. Nawaz Sharif and his…
Scott Bloch Sentencing Blocked By The Court
I have been a bit busy lately, so this is a tad late; but I should probably give the update on the Scott Bloch criminal sentencing that was scheduled for 9:30 am Monday morning May 13 in DC District Court in front of Judge Robert L. Wilkins.…
I Wonder What Fahd Al-Quso Thought of the AP's UndieBomb 2.0 Story?
It turns out Fahd al-Quso, whom the government alleged was Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's external operations director when he was killed in a drone strike May 6 of last year, never lived to see the AP's UndieBomb 2.0 story, which presumably…
AP Response to DOJ Reveals They COULDN'T Have Had Most Damaging Info Brennan Exposed
The AP has a scathing reply to Deputy Attorney General's claim that the subpoena he signed fulfilled DOJ guidelines on scope and notice. Among other details, it reveals the AP only learned via Cole's letter that DOJ seized just portions of the…
If UndieBomb 2.0 Is One of the Worst Leaks of Holder's Career, Why Is John Brennan CIA Director?
In a press conference today, Eric Holder didn't let recusal from the UndieBomb 2.0 leak investigation stop him from commenting on it. Among other things, he claimed this one of the most serious leaks he has seen since he started as a prosecutor…
The AP Grab: NSL versus Subpoena
Update: In his letter responding to AP's complaints, Deputy Attorney General James Cole says these were subpoenas. Cole tries to argue the scope of the subpoena was fair. But what he doesn't explain is why the government didn't give the AP notice…
"A Full Two Month Period" that Covers John Brennan's Entire Drone Propaganda Campaign
In his letter to Eric Holder, AP's President Gary Pruitt emphasized how inexcusably overbroad the call record seizure had been.
Last Friday afternoon, AP General Counsel Laura Malone received a letter from the office of United States Attorney…
DOJ Goes Nuclear on Goldman and Apuzzo
While the AP doesn't say it in their report that DOJ got two months of unnamed reporters' call records, but this effectively means they've gone nuclear on Goldman and Apuzzo for breaking a story the White House was going to break the following…
Did Declan Walsh Get Expelled from Pakistan because He Provided Drone Cover for Brennan's Confirmation?
Three things have recently gotten me thinking about the legitimacy of US counterterrorism in Pakistan in terms of the partners we choose:
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, using the opposition to…
The Sabotage Attack on the Syrian Coalition
The NYT reports -- adding to an earlier WaPo story -- that hackers have attempted to sabotage a bunch of US energy companies.
A new wave of cyberattacks is striking American corporations, prompting warnings from federal officials, including…
NYTimes Carefully Transcribes Dubious Denials of US Role in Wardak Province Torture, Murders
As evidence from investigations carried out by Afghan officials continues to mount that a figure now named (although it seems quite likely to me that this is not a real name) Zakaria Kandahari is at the heart of the cases of torture and murder…
Hailing Carmen Ortiz While Ignoring Several Amendments
Main Justice has a bizarre post suggesting that those who excoriated Carmen Ortiz for her treatment of Aaron Swartz (and Tarek Mehanna and Russ Caswell, though MJ doesn't name them by name) are now hailing her aggressiveness.
"The criticism…
What Are the Secrets that Will Remain Hidden in Benghazi?
Things are becoming clearer day by day in Libya. groups and brigades are polarizing along Islamist-jihadist-secular lines
US drones are not only hovering all the time over eastern Libya, they also bombed a training camp run by Abdulbasit…
Benghazi Talking Points: Petraeus' Revenge
It has taken three days for the bleating press corps in DC to wade through the roll-out of Benghazi talking point emails and realize that the tension behind the emails -- as has been clear from just days after the attack -- is that Benghazi…
The Ongoing Tsarnaev Investigation
There have been a number of interesting developments in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. This post will mostly serve to collect them and comment on what they say.
The taxi cab full of pressure cookers
First, there's a nagging…
Real ID Biometrics in Immigration Bill
I've got two ginormous issues with the report that the Immigration Bill includes a measure that would require the creation of a "photo tool" database to verify status before employment.
The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating…