CIA General Counsel: The Osama bin Laden Killing Was Legal Because ... "Triumph!"
In this post, I unpacked how the CIA General Counsel, Stephen Preston, managed to argue that "the CIA is an institution of laws and the rule of law is integral to Agency operations" even while admitting that courts had no review over many of…
CIA General Counsel: If the President Authorizes It, It's Legal
I do hope the Harvard students who listened to this speech from CIA General Counsel Stephen Preston--in which he purported to explain what a law-abiding agency the CIA is and which appears to be the CIA's effort to prove that the Anwar al-Awlaki…
Amid Cautious Optimism for P5+1 Talks, Iranian, Israeli Spies Arrested in Azerbaijan
As we approach the re-start of the P5+1 international talks on Iran's nuclear technology this weekend, there are multiple signals that Iran may be planning to make a major move aimed at reducing tensions. As CNN pointed out yesterday, Iran suggested…
At What Point Do Our Cyberwar Toys become WMD?
The other day, Ellen Nakashima reported on new cyberwar acquisition guidelines that will allow DOD, under certain circumstances, to deploy targeted exploits without the regular testing or oversight process.
The rapid process will take advantage…
Prediction: Latif Will Be Repatriated
The WaPo reports that the US is finally trying to resolve the cases of 50 non-Afghans we've had stashed at Bagram. It focuses on two Yemenis who may be repatriated.
The government of Yemen has agreed to closely monitor two Yemenis held by the…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Legal Henchman Andrew Thomas Gets The Axe
I have written several times over the years about the unethical antics of Andrew Thomas, the disgraced former elected County Attorney in Maricopa County Arizona. (See: here, and here and here for instance).
The article at the last link was,…
Data Mining Adoptive Parents along with Suspected Terrorists
I'm a sucker for groups of adoptive kids. Like the time when a group of Michigan families with adopted Ethiopian kids had a rambunctious reunion at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant, with the owner catering to the kids like a grandparent. Or…
Opening Week: Baseball and Bombs
The Yankees and Red Sox both finally won games yesterday after starting their seasons 0-3, while the Taliban have opened their season with a new offense.
The very fact that the US has been in Afghanistan so long that the press uses matter-of-fact…
The Guy Who's Always Right, Harold Koh, Changes His Mind
In her profile of Harold Koh's flip-flop on drones (and counterterrorism generally), Tara McKelvey shows that Koh joined the Administration with such certitude about his initial position--that drones were assassinations--he pissed everyone off.
“Everybody…
Gareth Williams Inquest to be Secret Tribunal
I've been blogging about British efforts to expands the use of closed material proceedings so it won't reveal embarrassing details about its cooperation in American torture in the future.
Which makes it interesting that Britain's Foreign…
Judge Issues Gag in Sandusky Case--After ESPN Exposes Tom Corbett's Conflicts
The judge in the Jerry Sandusky case, John Cleland, just gagged all the parties to the case. The Inky suggests the gag is targeted at Sandusky's lawyer, Joseph Amendola. Of course, Amendola and even Sandusky himself have been working the media…
DHS Inspector General Fluffs the Success of Secure Communities
Last Friday, DHS' Inspector General released two reports purportedly written in response to an April 28, 2011 request from Zoe Lofgren to determine whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS more generally were lying about the Secure…
Rohrabacher Attempts to Justify His Meddling With Pakistan
Over the weekend, the Washington Post gave California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher space so that he could attempt to explain to us why he is disrupting diplomatic efforts to repair US-Pakistan relations by continuing his quest for…
Along with Vetos on US Interrogations, Afghanistan Gets a 10-Year Commitment
According to reports (VOA, AP, NYT) the US and Afghanistan have finalized their agreement on night raids. In addition to the night raid partnership detailed earlier in the week, the finalized agreement resolves the dispute over what happens…
Trading Renditions for Oil Contracts
In September, Libyan rebels found a collection of documents that seemed as if they had been specially packaged to cause the US and--especially--the Brits a great deal of embarrassment. They detailed the rendition to Libyan torture of one of…
Our Torturer, Omar Suleiman, Wants to Be President--Will We Help Him?
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After earlier stating he would not run in the upcoming Egyptian Presidential race, Omar Suleiman announced on Friday he would file to run for President (with the Army's help gathering the 30,000 signatures he…
SCOTUS and the Designated Strip Seach Observers
I spent most of yesterday digging through the PREAL document Jason Leopold and Jeff Kaye liberated the other day (more on that later). Like Harper's Scott Horton, reading it closely just after SCOTUS made it legal to strip search people arrested…
DOD Attributes a 3-Week Delay on Forensic Collection to Absent Villagers
The AP reports that over three weeks after the attack on two villages in Panjwai, DOD investigators have finally gotten around to collecting forensic material from the sites of the attack (h/t scribe)
Army criminal investigators visited the…
DOE Washing Terrorists in the Nevada Desert
I've long suggested that our attempts to suggest Mossad was running the MEK (and Jundallah) led covert operations in Iran were attempts to hide US cooperation with those groups against Iran.
Sy Hersh confirms precisely that speculation with…
Did DOJ Ratchet Up the Charges Against Kiriakou Because of Poland Investigation?
When John Kiriakou was first charged with espionage, he was charged with four counts:
Leaking Covert Officer A's identity under IIPA section B
Leaking Deuce Martinez' identity under defense information clause of Espionage Act
Leaking…