Bombshell: Did DOJ probe AP as payback for scooping the WH?
http://twitter.com/#!/gabrielmalor/status/335101568141627392
Wow is right. President Obama declined to comment on the AP phone records scandal today.
President Obama declines to comment on seizure of AP phone records
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) May 16, 2013
He was far too busy running late, snubbing his smitten lapdogs and using Marines as human prop-aganda and all. And there was possibly another reason, natch.
@bretbaier or is it because the WH wanted to leak story before AP after CIA said no more threat to assets. This is new report coming out now
— peter boss (@ptb1975) May 16, 2013
Yes, there is a new report. And it appears to be devastating.
If what @allahpundit is saying there is correct… I don’t know how the admin can survive this scandal.
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
@moelane Oh, nothing much, just this bombshell. hotair.com/archives/2013/…
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
The Washington Post is reporting that the CIA asked the Associated Press to sit on a story about the Yemen terror plot bust until the White House was ready to spike the football.
The CIA officials, who had initially cited national security concerns in an attempt to delay publication, no longer had those worries, according to individuals familiar with the exchange. Instead, the Obama administration was planning to announce the successful counterterrorism operation that Tuesday.
AP balked and proceeded to publish that Monday afternoon. Its May 2012 report is now at the center of a controversial and broad seizure of phone records of AP reporters’ home, office and cellphone lines. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the unauthorized disclosure about an intelligence operation to stop al-Qaeda from detonating explosives aboard a U.S. airliner was among the most serious leaks he could remember, and justified secretly obtaining records from a handful of reporters and editors over a span of two months.
Wait, what? According to lying liars in the Obama administration, AP phone records were probed to uncover a leak that put the country at risk. Yet, reportedly the story was published after the AP was told, by the CIA, that there was no longer a risk. And after the AP had already sat on the story for five days.
Of course, Jay Carney would say this is also magically the fault of Fox News.
It seems the real “risk” here was the Obama administration missing a chance to gloat and pat itself on the back first.
WaPo: CIA asked AP not to expose Yemen terror plot bust until White House was ready to crow about it hotair.com/archives/2013/… via @hotairblog
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) May 16, 2013
Allahpundit over at Hot Air breaks it down:
Am I understanding that correctly? The CIA went on bargaining with the AP after the security worries had evaporated, purely in the interest of preventing the administration from being scooped on its glorious “plot foiled” announcement the next day? (John Brennan ended up on “Good Morning, America” the next morning to crow about the intel victory.) And when the AP didn’t comply — even though it had been, apparently, entirely cooperative up to that point — the DOJ went hunting for its phone records without so much as a polite request first? Also, who was the “administration official” in the White House that couldn’t wait more than five whole minutes after the news broke for Team Obama to take credit, six months out from an election?
If true, this is beyond scandalous: Read the whole thing.
Allahpundit and other Twitter users break it down further.
@johnekdahl Read the WaPo story. Is my take on it wrong? They sure seem to be implying stuff
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@rbpundit @allahpundit Are we sure this is right? If it is, it’s absolutely huge.
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl washingtonpost.com/politics/some-…
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@allahpundit Just read it. I’m seeing the same thing you are. This is resignation/jailtime stuff.
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl Here’s my Q: If the AP played ball by not publishing early, why didn’t DOJ reciprocate by first asking for phone records?
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@allahpundit @johnekdahl Because media’s relationship with O is that of a battered spouse.
— Sunny (@sunnyright) May 16, 2013
@allahpundit I don’t understand your Q. The AP gave up after the ridiculous 5 min offer and just published.
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl But they held off for five days, until after the security threat had passed
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@allahpundit Right, my understanding of the timeline is that DOJ investigated after AP published.
— John Ekdahl, Jr. (@JohnEkdahl) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl Right, but unless I’m mistaken, they didn’t first ask AP for phone records, as is standard practice
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl Most basic question: Why was CIA asking AP for more time if there was no more security risk?
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
Bingo. The risk was to the Obama administration’s thunder.
@allahpundit @johnekdahl If I’m reading it right, they didn’t want to step on the WH announcement the next day.
— Slublog (@Slublog) May 16, 2013
@slublog @johnekdahl Right. Why is the CIA negotiating PR? Who’s the official in the WH insisting they not be scooped by the AP?
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl @allahpundit DOJ argument will be classified info was leaked, clearly a crime, and they had a duty to investigate.
— AG (@AG_Conservative) May 16, 2013
@ag_conservative @johnekdahl Indeed. That’s defensible. But why was the CIA bargaining for time after the security risk had passed?
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
But what about the original leaker and any national security risk?
@allahpundit @johnekdahl @gabrielmalor …and yet there could still be legitimate concerns about the leaker who told AP about the mission.
— DepressiveBlogger69 (@AceofSpadesHQ) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl @rbpundit @allahpundit but didn’t Yemen plot expose secret Saudi infiltration of AQ in Yemen? Plus I think Iran is bigger story
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) May 16, 2013
@gpollowitz The CIA wasn’t concerned about national security before the AP report was published. @johnekdahl @allahpundit
— RB (@RBPundit) May 16, 2013
@aceofspadeshq @allahpundit @johnekdahl But if that’s not true or if AP had been cooperating, there’s no need for the nuclear option.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) May 16, 2013
Exactly.
@gabrielmalor @aceofspadeshq @johnekdahl Yep
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 16, 2013
Citizens are outraged by this latest bombshell.
Dude. RT @johnekdahl WOW. hotair.com/archives/2013/…
— SFK (@stephenkruiser) May 16, 2013
Common thread in DOJ/AP, CIA/Benghazi stuff: WH, federal agencies going Way overboard re: containing/controlling stories. #getoveryourselves
— Elizabeth Crum (E!!) (@elizcrum) May 16, 2013
Backgrounder on White House use of the AP as Flacks Supreme will make you hair hurt.hotair.com/archives/2013/…
— Lucianne Goldberg (@LucianneLinks) May 16, 2013
@johnekdahl I don’t know how it hasn’t exploded yet. @allahpundit
— RB (@RBPundit) May 16, 2013
So, DOJ launched a scorched-earth probe of AP in a snit over scooping the Obama press shop? bit.ly/16lNyAf twitter.com/baseballcrank/…
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) May 16, 2013
A chilling retaliatory snit fit. This is Obama’s America?
“OK OK, so maybe THIS is Nixonian.” – @mmfa … hotair.com/archives/2013/…
— Cuffé (@CuffyMeh) May 16, 2013
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