Entries by emptywheel

The CIA IG Report on Renditions

There are a couple of details I want to return to in this AP story on what has happened to those responsible for CIA’s biggest fuck-ups and crimes. One is this discussion of the CIA Inspector General’s report on “erroneous” renditions. While the inspector general was investigating the mishandled el-Masri case, congressional investigators discovered several […]

Share this entry

A Lovely Day at the Beach

Every year, for the first few Sundays after the Super Bowl, McCaffrey the MilleniaLab starts sulking at about 3:00 because for some reason we won’t turn on our weekly football game. (Last year we actually resorted to watching basketball the first weekend after the season ended.) So we decided to try to tire him out […]

Share this entry

FBI Still Inventing New Ways to Surveil People with No Oversight

Marisa Taylor has an important update on the OLC exigent letter opinion. Last year, DOJ’s now-retired Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report revealing how the FBI had used exigent letters to get call data information from telecoms with no oversight. Ryan Singel noted a reference to an OLC opinion that basically melted away the […]

Share this entry

From the ChamberPot: Number Two

The Chamber of Commerce has tried to craft another non-denial denial that they engaged a bunch of private spooks to spy on people like Brad Friedman. But it’s still a non-denial denial. Once again, they emphasize that they didn’t pay HBGary. The U.S. Chamber never hired or solicited proposals from HBGary, Palantir or Berico, the […]

Share this entry

Dear Egypt: We Love You for Your Freedom

Remember when that ignorant fool opined, “They hate us for our freedoms”? As one American still ashamed by that comment, let me thank Egypt for such an amazing display of what freedom is about. Congratulations! May it inspire those of us watching from America to reclaim our own democracy.

Share this entry

HBGary Fees: “Dam It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta”

One of the more interesting documents on HBGary et al’s partnership with the Chamber of Commerce details the prices they wanted to charge. Now, other emails make it clear that the Chamber balked at what the team originally proposed would be $2 million of work–the Chamber didn’t pay these rates (indeed, they probably haven’t paid […]

Share this entry

From the ChamberPot: A Carefully Worded Nondenial Denial

The Chamber of Commerce has responded to ThinkProgress’ reporting of the Chamber’s discussions with Hunton & Williams about an intelligence campaign against USChamberWatch and other anti-Chamber efforts. It purports to deny any connection with Hunton & Williams and HBGary. More Baseless Attacks on the Chamber by Tom Collamore We’re incredulous that anyone would attempt to […]

Share this entry

Hacked Documents Show Chamber Engaged HBGary to Spy on Unions

[Ed: Read the documents about the US Chamber’s plan to spy on unions.] I noted yesterday how mind-numbingly ignorant analysis of Glenn Greenwald’s motivation as a careerist hack that was provided by HBGary. And if the allegations in the excerpts of former WikiLeaks volunteer Daniel Domscheit-Berg’s book are accurate, HBGary’s analysis about WikiLeaks itself is […]

Share this entry