The attached letter was sent earlier today to the White House and copied to members of the Senate and House leadership. The group of former and retired intelligence officers are bipartisan, representing a variety of political views. We are agreed on one thing, we are Americans and believe this country is worth defending.
The following signatories have indicated a willingness to speak with the press about the letter sent to President Bush regarding the outing of Valerie Wilson’s classified identity.
15 November 2005
President George W. Bush
Office of the President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Most respectfully, we, the undersigned, as former intelligence officers who have served this nation in a variety of capacities, both undercover and in the open, are writing to deplore the breach of trust between this Administration and members of the intelligence community that has resulted from the Valerie Plame case. Moreover, this nation’s clandestine intelligence service will be seriously undermined if those culpable of disclosing or discussing her identity are pardoned after being found guilty or allowed to continue holding security clearances.
Mr. President, you entered office with the promise to restore honor to the White House and in the spirit of that pledge later promised to hold accountable anyone on your staff implicated in the leak of Valerie Wilson’s classified identity. Mr. President, we are asking you to keep your promises.
As intelligence professionals our allegiance has been first and foremost to protecting the Constitutional government of the United States. This commitment supersedes partisan politics. We have worked undercover, out of the limelight, and employed clandestine methods to gather information about individuals and nations who have sought to harm the United States and its citizens. In carrying out these duties we rely on you and the members of your administration to protect our secrets and safeguard our identities.
Inexplicably, this bond of trust was shattered with the exposure in July 2003 of the identity of Valerie Wilson, a CIA case officer working under non-official cover. It is clear that at least two members of your staff—I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and Karl Rove—were implicated in this act. Most of us are not lawyers and we make no claim as to whether any law was violated. However, the actions of these senior White House officials have compromised and destroyed valuable intelligence assets. It does not matter whether their disclosure of Valerie Wilson’s identity as a CIA officer was unwitting or intentional. Their actions destroyed both her career and her intelligence network, which was devoted to protecting this country from the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
Therefore, we are asking that you immediately suspend the clearances of all White House personnel who spoke to reporters about Mrs. Wilson’s affiliation with the CIA. They have mishandled classified information and no longer deserve the level of trust required to have access to this nation’s secrets.
We also ask that you make it clear that any individual, who is convicted of a crime stemming from the leak of the classified identity of Valerie Wilson, will not receive a pardon. The refusal, so far, of I. Lewis Libby to heed your call for full cooperation with the prosecutor raises the specter that he will try to stonewall the investigation in hopes of ultimately being pardoned by you.
We believe that the President, in his role as Commander-in-Chief, has a duty to demonstrate the highest standards when it comes to protecting our nation’s secrets. We are reminded that Vice President Cheney, when he was Secretary of Defense, dismissed the Air Force Chief of Staff for inadvertently disclosing classified information to the press. The Vice President recognized correctly that the mishandling of classified information, regardless of intent, must be punished.
If you take these steps you will be sending a clear message that your first priority is the nation’s security rather than your aides’ well being. You will demonstrate that you will not tolerate people in your Administration who mishandle our nation’s secrets and send an unambiguous message to the American people, as well as our enemies, that you are serious about protecting the security and safety of America.
Respectfully,
The undersigned current and former intelligence professionals— (listed alphabetically):
A. Dale Ackels, Col. USA (ret.)
Robert Baer, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Vincent Cannistraro, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Brent Cavan, former Analyst, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA
Philip Giraldi, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Melvin A. Goodman, former Analyst, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA
Mike Grimaldi, former Analyst, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA
Karen Kwiatowski, political military staff analyst, retired Lt Col, USAF, Ph.D.
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA
W. Patrick Lang, Col. USA (ret), Chief of DIA Middle East Division, Director Defense Humint Services
Melissa Boyle Mahle, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Jim Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
John “Jack” McCavitt, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Ray McGovern, former Analyst, Directorate of Intelligence, CIA
David Rupp, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Bill Wagner, former Case Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
cc:
The Honorable William Frist,
The Honorable Harry Reid
The Honorable Pat Roberts
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV
The Honorable Denny Hastert
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Honorable Peter Hoekstra
The Honorable Jane Harman
C-posted at DKos.
I was just there recommending your diary (about as soon as you put it up! lol)…
Can you do me a favor and check out this diary while you are over at dKos?
Normally I wouldn’t ask anyone to go “Orange”, but I am only asking for the have nots that can’t afford a luxurious vacation! lol
I recommended it. I’m out of the loop on this convention stuff. What’s the problem that people are discussing?
figure out the cost on a flight to Vegas + the cost of the hotel (about $400 for a romm for a couple) + plus the $360 registration for the convention activities + breakfasts + dinners + entertainment/beverages + etc. etc. …. Well, let’s just say that I am tired of seeing the diaries complaining about the costs of the convention.
If they webcast them than people won’t be as likely to complain in a rediculous # of diaries responding to the numerous diaries for fundraising…
Let’s just say that it is starting to look like a pie fight over the costs of the convention. I hate the wasted bandwidth!
Nevermind that I can easily sympathize with the Kossacks that are complaining about the cost of what was originally supposed to be just a “Meet & Greet”.
The yKos committee has pissed everyone over there off. I put up that post and one of the committee members says “great diary! We planned on doing that… see this diary where we said that”. Well the diary mentions using technology at the conference, but absolutely zip/nada/zilch/zero/nothing about webcasts.
They are about as screwed up as a soup-salad-sandwich. And the wasted time on those diaries drives me nuts! Why read that crap when I can read your diaries, or Bill in PM’s diaries, or argue about Armondo being wrong again… Much more fun and useful to the left than pie/convention fights! lol
Dang… I better shut up because this comment is getting to be almost as long as your “indigo comments” in Boos diaries earlier.
GEEEZ! I really have to remember to preview BEFORE I click on post…
but does anyone think it will get any more attention from His Nibs than any other communique he doesn’t want to know about?
It is nonetheless a fine document.
I suggest we pull a Michael Moore and rent one of those trucks with the huge loudspeakers — surely the Code Pink women will help too! — and read this letter, taking turns of course, 24/7, near the White House and West Wing.
or a boom box parade or something. I mean jeez, it’s got to be easier to get a permit for a parade than for a protest.
Awesome Larry…I salute all sixteen of you for speaking up!
Ah gee … don’t you people ever lighten up? Nicole Richie is on Larry King! Woohoo!
Thank you Mr. Johnson and all the signatories. A futile gesture with this President interms of getting him to admit wrong doing by his administration, but hopefully not a futile gesture in terms of media coverage.
This needed to be said. Quite an impressive group of signatures. I see a recently declared candidate for the U.S. House in the district I live in in this list!
Howard Dean made quite a point about the Plame thing during a speech in Plymouth Mi. last evening. He received a very enthusiastic response from what I would guess to be about 4-500 guests at a fund raising reception there.
Another Booman Wow.
Amazing. This should have been above the fold on every paper. Has there ever been a letter written like this to any Administration?
This letter is professional and damning. I fear it won’t reach the MSM’s radar, but I hope I’m wrong. You and your colleagues are a cut above, and I applaud you for speaking truth.
(Susan, I recommended this at the orange site last night as well, but evening diaries never last long…)
Thank you Larry. Thanks to all the signatories – please publish it far and wide.
I am counting on those members of our government who still have some integrity to help us out of this mess.
I am very interested in this
尖锐湿疣 性病 尖锐湿疣 咪喹莫特 疣迪 尖锐湿疣 咪喹莫特 疣迪 艾达乐 咪喹莫特 尖锐湿疣 尖锐湿疣 尖锐湿疣 尖锐湿疣