John Brennan Refuses to Deny the Government Collects US Person Data with No Predicate
John Brennan pointedly refused to answer Mark Udall's question about whether the government collects information on Americans without a predicate.
In 2008, you stated, “I would argue the government needs to have access to only those nuggets…
Brennan Continues to Stonewall on His Own Leaks
John Brennan has now been asked three times (four, presuming Richard Burr asked during the closed hearing, as he said he would) to list the specific times he has leaked to journalists. He has refused all the unclassified questions, as he does…
Is This a Benghazi Question?
Particularly given some of the rumors about what the CIA was doing in Benghazi when Ambassador Chris Stevens got killed, I wonder whether this question -- from the follow-up to John Brennan's confirmation hearings -- pertains to Benghazi.
In…
Dianne Feinstein Commits the Drone and/or Targeted Killing Fallacy
I'm not sure whether Dianne Feinstein is this dumb, or this exchange -- from follow-up questions to John Brennan's confirmation hearings -- is just an effort to trick people like Rand Paul into believing that the Administration doesn't believe…
Lamar Smith: It's Critical to Invest in Space Balls, But Not Climate Change
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In reaction to last night's meteorite impact in Russia, Lamar Smith, who now chairs the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, has announced he will hold a hearing to identify more pork for Houston's space…
Department of Pre-Crime, Part 3: What Law Would the Drone (and/or Targeted Killing) Court Interpret?
I've been writing about the nascent plan, on the part of a few Senators who want to avoid hard decisions, to establish a FISA Court to review Drone (and/or Targeted Killings) of American citizens.
A number of people presumably think it'd…
Enjoy A Valentine's Day Sampler
It’s difficult lately for me to sit down and spend time on a blogpost. I manage a handful of minutes here and there to do reading or research. An email may take hours to draft.
But there’s too much juicy stuff floating around deserving…
Obama's Reverse Imaginary Friend, the Assassination Robot
The Obama Administration is getting more and more like that crazy old man in the park talking to an imaginary friend. Only it works in reverse. It sends out real people to engage in hours of conversations with other real people about a real…
Alleged Wacko Rand Paul Asks Serious Questions about Targeted Killings
The Politico went to some effort, it seems, to dismiss Rand Paul's concerns about the drone program (as well as his threat to hold John Brennan's nomination if and when it gets out of the Senate Intelligence Committee).
But Paul's two…
Did CIA OCA Censor Another Court Transmission?
Back on January 28, the proceedings of the military commission attempting to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed and co-conspirators were interrupted when an unknown entity outside the courtroom muted the audio feed carried out of the courtroom. The…
The Benghazi Truthers and the OLC Hold-Outs
Dianne Feinstein announced yesterday that the Senate Intelligence Committee would not, as originally planned, vote on John Brennan's nomination today. No Valentine's Day love for Brennan I guess.
DiFi cited outstanding questions on Benghazi…
Has the Government Left Minh Quang Pham "Languishing Forever"?
John Brennan made two interesting comments about FBI interrogation at his hearing last week. First, in response to a Martin Heinrich question, he suggested that the Army Field Manual shouldn't be the interrogation standard for the entire government…
Hypothetically Speaking: Immigration Reform and the Threat to Citizenship
President Obama once again asked for immigration reform in last night's State of the Union address:
... Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants. And right now, leaders from the business,…
How Many of the Seven Missing OLC Opinions Authorize Targeted Killing in Unknown Countries?
Dianne Feinstein has released a statement trying to pretend the Senate Intelligence Committee's post-killing review constitutes enough oversight of the drone program. In it, she reveals that the Committee is still waiting on 5 OLC memos on targeted…
Does Obama Plan on Killing More Americans Once He Has FISA Drone (and/or Targeting Killing) Court?
Micah Zenko argues that the language Obama used last night to describe targeted killing lowers the bar -- from senior operational leaders to Al Qaeda to those who just present a grave threat.
In addition, Obama’s declaration that the United…
Department of Pre-Crime, Part Two: The FISA Court Is Broken
Largely to avoid some difficult issues, members of Congress are moving to create a FISA Court for Drones (and/or Targeted Killing) to review the assassination orders for American citizens before they are carried out.
Setting aside all the…
Obama Still Clinging to 352,000 Afghan National Security Force Size Myth
Before the outbreak of green on blue killings that eventually led to a significant interruption in the training of Afghan security forces last September, it was impossible to read a statement from the US military or NATO regarding future plans…
Obama Will Propose New Efforts to Make Our Creaky Physically Dangerous Critical Infrastructure CyberSafe
One of Obama's key proposals in tonight's State of the Union will be yet another effort to shore up the cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure.
As a threshold matter, I find it a remarkable coinkydink that the WaPo just reported the…
Setting Up a Department of Pre-Crime, Part One: Why Are We Doing This?
I'm going to have a series of posts on the proposed FISA Drone (and/or Targeted Killing) Court, starting with a description of why I think there's movement to do this now.
There are, as I see it, three different motivations among those…
Did Logistics Guy John Brennan Set Up the Torture Taping System? Did He Buy the Torture Coffin?
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This was one of the most interesting little-noticed exchanges at John Brennan's confirmation hearing last week.
CHAMBLISS: In 2002 what was your knowledge of interrogation videotapes about Abu Zubaydah, and…