Diane Feinstein is the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. and as such is bound to insure that the secrets that the U.S. Intelligence services and their allies have are kept so, in order to preserve the peace of the both our nation and those who would help us abroad – as well as to prevent acts of war on the U.S. and its interests abroad.
The beginning of the investigation (video above) suggests that the committee understood the leaks were coming from the highest offices.
On June 8th, the Atlantic Wire Reported that the Senator would find herself against the White House (i.e. her political party in an election year)
:
"Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein's reputation for toughness when it comes to cracking down on national security leaks is bringing her dangerously close to butting heads with the White House. As Reuters' Mark Hosenball and Susan Cornwell report, the Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman is considering joining Republican calls for an outside investigation of U.S. national security leaks, but according to a transcript from the White House's Thursday press briefing, President Obama is adamantly opposed to such an investigation."
On Thursday, Feinstein joined the House intelligence committee's Republican chairman Mike Rogers and Democrat C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger for a rare Capitol Hill press conference to lament a series of leaks regarding President Obama's classified "kill list" and CIA cyber attacks to The New York Times. Feinstein said she's still pondering the idea of a "special counsel" but finds the leaks damaging to national security. "I am deeply disturbed by the continuing leaks of classified information to the media, most recently regarding alleged cyber efforts targeting Iran’s nuclear program," she said. The White House, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with an outside investigation of the leaks, as Thursday's press gaggle with Jay Carney revealed:
Video Below – Feinstein “The White House has to be aware that the leaks are coming from the White House”
On July 24, the Hill reported that Feinstein’s remarks were direct in that someone at the White House is behind the national security leaks – but not the President.
A few Hours Later she cautioned:“I stated that I did not believe the president leaked classified information,” Feinstein said in the statement on Tuesday. “I shouldn’t have speculated beyond that, because the fact of the matter is I don’t know the source of the leaks.”
This was most likely due to the fact that Mitt Romney as well as conservative news outlets began to look at this revelation as it should be viewed, regardless of the source, as a huge mismanagement of the public trust, specifically as it regards the safety of the nation and our allies. In addition, regardless of whether or not it was a bungle by a member of the White House staff, who has access to highly secure information, trying to get out the “news” of what a great job the Administration is doing on the Terror Threat we live within the U.S, it is, regardless of intent – treasonous under the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution, Article III (The Judiciary) Section 3, states: - Treason
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.
Notes on the definitions: The Constitution explicitly states that there may be no "corruption of blood," or that the children and relatives of the traitor not be considered traitorous simply by relation; the "no forfeiture" clause basically means that once the traitor dies, "payment" for the crime ends.(usconstitution.net)
This opens up a huge can of worms, one which, politics aside, should be alarming regardless of which political party has been involved. It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, “as bad as” the Plame revelations (outing of a CIA operative who was no longer an operative) by a Bush Administration official. This involves ongoing efforts by the U.S. Intelligence agencies to secure U.S. safety, puts lives at risk for those in hostile lands that might have helped us, and/or makes the likelihood of anyone thinking of helping the U.S. – zero.
There should be not only an internal investigation by the White House under the direction of Attorney General Holder, but due to the partisan nature of the administration, an independent council should be assigned to investigate the matter – as was done under other administrations who had not strayed so close into the area of Treason as defined by the Constitution. As to Senator Feinstein’s backtracking on first naming then denying she has the knowledge, one finds that somewhat incredulous due to her position on the Committee and the fact that this has been going on for months that the public is aware of. However, the pressure brought to bear by the White House on the Senator must have been somewhat crippling, even though, as some pundits suggest, she has a very “safe seat” in her upcoming bid for reelection to the Senate, and therefore, should continue to stand up for the nation, rather than the party, if she is certain. One would think that, if that were the case, then Senator Feinstein has some very deep soul-searching ahead of her – specifically if the joint committees investigations conclude that the leaks could come from nowhere but the White House – and should an independent counsel find the same, then a full prosecution should take place as directed by the U.S. Constitution. In that wise, the Senator would have been indirectly complicit in denying knowledge, if knowledge existed. One would think that she is above that fray, given her passion for the protection of the U.S. and, should she find herself in such a position, specifically backtracking if she does know the leaks indeed came from within the administration, then it would be hoped she has the chutzpah to stand up and do her job as the Committee Chair of the Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, and pay due attention to the Oath she Took when she attained her office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
