How a Used Car Salesman's Alleged Kidnapping Plot Turned into an International Incident
Let me correct something the press has almost universally gotten wrong about the Manssor Arbabsiar plot. He was not originally sent to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the US in a spectacular bombing plot. According to the complaint, after…
FBI Accused Ivins of Hiding Material While FBI Hid Data From Public, Ivins' Attorney
A huge portion of the FBI's circumstantial case against Bruce Ivins in the Amerithrax investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks relies on the scientific analysis carried out to provide a genetic fingerprint of the anthrax spores in Ivins' RMR-1029…
The UndieBomber's 15 Minutes of Fame
Here's the entirety of the speech Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab gave after he plead guilty to the Christmas Day bombing.
10:32 a.m.
Abdulmutallab read from a statement saying he was guilty under U.S. law, but not under Islamic law, for the crimes…
Lisa Monaco Would Like to Thank the Academy
One nice touch of today's press conference rolling out the latest FBI-created plot (aside from comedy lines like "they had no regard for the rule of law" and "we will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground") is that the fairly…
The Iranian Plot: Bank Transfers of Mass Destruction
I'm sorry, but I'm having a really difficult time taking this latest terrorist plot seriously. Not just because the story is so neat, tying together all the enemies--the drug cartles and Iran--we're currently supposed to hate, but because it…
The Uber-Plot: Iran, Mexican Drug Cartels, Koch Brothers, and Republicans
This plot has it all: an informant posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, Iranians targeting Saudis in DC's streets, and even its own "Operation" name already.
FBI and DEA agents have disrupted a plot to commit a "significant terrorist…
Is the US Outsourcing Torture, Again?
As you may recall, one of the most explosive revelations from the Iraq War Logs released by WikiLeaks pertains to US forces ignoring Iraqi torture of other Iraqis.
The biggest headline from Friday’s Wikileaks dump (everywhere but the NYT,…
Big Kitty Cats On The Prowl & Talking Trash In Detroit Motor City
[Hi there Kitty Kat fans!! The tigers are tied with the Rangers in the 9th and the Lions coming on soon. Time to Prowl, so Trash has been moved back up to where it can be found - bmaz]
The big cats are on the prowl, and they are growling…
FBI's Lone Wolf Case Against Ivins Continues to Crumble
Back in May, McClatchy provided new information that added signficant doubt to the FBI's accusation that Bruce Ivins worked alone in the 2001 anthrax attacks. The key information McClatchy reported was that in addition to the already known…
No Wonder the Administration Didn't Want Buck McKeon's New AUMF; Marty Lederman Already Gave Them One
Glenn Greenwald has a typically provocative post on the news that Marty Lederman and David Barron wrote the authorization to kill Anwar al-Awlaki. He uses Dawn Johnsen's comments on the way secret OLC memos create secret law that undermine democracy.
Obama’s…
How Can Samir Khan Be "Collateral Damage" If OLC Memo Restricted Civilian Death?
Here's the 32nd of 33 paragraphs in a Charlie Savage story describing the state secrets-protected explanation that justifies the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki.
The memorandum did assert that other limitations on the use of force under the laws…
Yet Another "Lady Gaga" Exposure Forces DOD to Wipe Drone Control Computers
On Friday, Wired broke the news that the DOD suffered yet another breach because they continue to leave computers exposed to outside storage systems. (h/t WO) In this case, the Ground Control Stations they use to control drones got infected…
Ray Kelly Vs. Minimal Oversight
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In the AP's first report on the NYPD's CIA-on-the-Hudson, they quoted City Councilmen Peter Vallone reassuring that his private conversations with Ray Kelly were adequate oversight.
"Ray Kelly briefs me privately…
Pakistan Asks for Update On Raymond Davis Investigation; OBL Immunization Doctor Accused of Treason
On Tuesday, noting the felony charge Raymond Davis faces in Colorado over a parking lot fight, I asked what happened to the investigation the US promised regarding Davis killing two Pakistanis in Lahore earlier this year. It turns out I'm…
Why Is Thomas Perrelli Negotiating a Settlement If the Banksters Didn't Commit Fraudulent Actions?
In his press conference today, Obama said,
Well, first, on the issue of — on the issue of prosecutions on Wall Street, one of the biggest problems about the collapse of Lehman’s and the subsequent financial crisis and the whole subprime…
If the Legal Case for Killing Awlaki Is So Sound, Then Why Maintain Presidential Plausible Deniability?
Glenn Greenwald has another worthwhile post on Democrats' silence about the Anwar al-Awlaki assassination. But i wanted to push back against one thing he said. After quoting from this Mark Hosenball story on the kill list approval process, Glenn…
SuperCongress Transparency: Dave Camp Staffer Lies to Avoid Talking to Citizens
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After the Take Back the American Dream conference yesterday, we had a rally for Jobs and then lobbied SuperCongress to make sure their plans supported jobs, not just cuts.
As Nicole Sandler notes, the staffers…
GITMO: The Same Old New Opaque Transparency
Last week we wondered what the appointment of the "new and improved" Gitmo Commander, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, would mean for the military commission system and upcoming big terror trials for the likes of al-Nashiri and KSM, and what it…
All Sides Agree There Is Excessive Secrecy Surrounding Targeting Of US Citizens
The targeted execution of Anwar al-Awlaki struck different people along the political spectrum in the United States in many different ways, but it has been heartening most all have recognized it as a seminal moment worthy of dissection and contemplation.…