Fitzgerald to Head Probe on Possible Outing of Undercover CIA Agents

[maddezmom]

Fitzgerald to Head Probe on Possible Outing of Undercover CIA Agents
By Andrew Ramonas | March 21, 2010 11:36 pm

Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has been given another sensitive assignment — to determine whether defense lawyers at Guantanamo Bay jeopardized the identities of clandestine CIA agents — Newsweek reported Friday.


Patrick Fitzgerald (DOJ)
Fitzgerald, one of the Justice Department’s most respected prosecutors, will probe the events surrounding almost two dozen photographs of CIA officials found in the cell of Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, who allegedly helped fund the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Newsweek.

In 2007, the Chicago-based U.S. Attorney successfully prosecuted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, former Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, for lying to federal investigators looking into the disclosure that Valerie Plame was a CIA agent.

Among the photos were “paparazzi style” pictures of the agents in public places, a sign that they may have been taken by private investigators to identify CIA interrogators, said Newsweek. Although the photos didn’t have the names of the agents, a former government official told the magazine that “there was real concern” the photos could be used by al Qaeda for revenge.

“These guys are killers — and KSM has made it clear they’re going to look for retribution,” the official said, referring to alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

more: http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/03/21/fitzgerald-to-head-probe-on-outing-of-cia-agents/

[babylonsister]

1. This should be good. Rec'd. nt

[trumad]

2. Expect a Rove indictment at any minute.

;-)

[Solly Mack]

3. A little background

Detainees Said to Be Shown Photos of C.I.A. Agents
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/us/21gitmo.html

The Justice Department is investigating whether three military defense lawyers for detainees at the Guantánamo prison illegally showed their clients photographs of C.I.A. interrogators, two leaders of civilian legal groups that are working with the defense lawyers said Thursday.

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation approached the three lawyers with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps nearly two weeks ago, said Anthony D. Romero, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is helping the military lawyers defend the detainees in military commissions.

The agents informed the uniformed lawyers of their right to remain silent, and then questioned them about whether they showed their clients pictures of Central Intelligence Agency officials — possibly including covert agents — that came from an “independent investigation” by the A.C.L.U. and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Mr. Romero said.


Detainees Shown CIA Officers' Photos
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082004295.html


Investigators are looking into allegations that laws protecting classified information were breached when three lawyers showed their clients the photographs, the sources said. The lawyers were apparently attempting to identify CIA officers and contractors involved in the agency's interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects in facilities outside the United States, where the agency employed harsh techniques.


If detainees at the U.S. military prison in Cuba are tried, either in federal court or by a military commission, defense lawyers are expected to attempt to call CIA personnel to testify.

The photos were taken by researchers hired by the John Adams Project, a joint effort of the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, to support military counsel at Guantanamo Bay, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the inquiry. It was unclear whether the Justice Department is also examining those organizations


John Adams Project - American Values
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/john-adams-project-american-values