Author Archive for: emptywheel
About emptywheel
Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Entries by emptywheel
Roland Burris: “Fred Is Dying on the Vine”
/23 Comments/in emptywheel/by emptywheelIn the Roland Burris-Rob Blagojevich transcript that got released earlier this week, Burris’ law partner, Fred Lebed, is mentioned as a key player in their discussions. That’s critical because, by the time of the conversation, Lebed may have already done Blago a big favor–getting his wife hired.
Decision Day On al-Haramain (updated)
/67 Comments/in emptywheel, FISA, Law/by emptywheelIt is decision day for the gunslingers at the al-Haramain corral. If you recall when we last left this little vignette, exactly one week ago today, Judge Vaughn Walker had just issued a fairly terse ruling giving certain instructions to the parties. Both parties were given one week, until today, May 29th, to produce written responses to the court. al-Haramain’s is in, and it is very interesting.
Carl Levin to Cheney: You’ve Got Nothing
/23 Comments/in Torture/by emptywheelCarl Levin better watch out for Liz “BabyDick” Cheney and her cries of “libel!” Because he just called her Daddy a liar. But I’m most interested in how the specific denials he gave about the content of the documents Cheney wants fleshes out the information in the May 30, 2005 Bradbury Memo on efficacy.
Cheney’s So-Called Recidivists
/116 Comments/in Intelligence, Terrorism/by emptywheelThere’s a number of impressions I get from the DOD “report” on the number of Gitmo detainees who have joined terrorists groups, including al Qaeda, since being released. First, while it appears to be what ABC billed it as–the report showing 14% of the people freed from Gitmo purportedly returning to the fight, the one that was used to scare the Senate into refuse funding for Gitmo–it looks fairly laughable.
Liz Cheney: Calling My Daddy a Torturer Is Libelous
/155 Comments/in Torture/by emptywheelI just got home and am wiped out (bmaz kept me out partying in NYC), so I thought I’d throw this up for discussion.
BabyDick says:She hasn’t seen the memos she’s convinced show torture was effective (no mention of whether she saw the IG report which says torture isn’t effective)She still ignores the part of Admiral Blair’s statement that shows we only got general info from torture–like the 10 pieces of intelligence
What Pelosi, Rockefeller & Harman Could Have Done
/198 Comments/in Bingo, Bush Administration, emptywheel, Intelligence, Law/by emptywheelThere has been an ongoing discussion for the last few weeks or so about the briefings that congressional leaders were allegedly given regarding the Bush/Cheney torture program and what Congressmembers like Pelosi, Rockefeller, Harman and Graham could have done to fight the malfeasance of Bush and Cheney. This post will explain what they could have done.