J. William Leonard, the former director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) has filed a complaint with the current ISOO director alleging that the National Security Agency wrongly classified a document, which was then used as a basis for the Espionage Act indictment of Thomas Drake, the New York Times reported. See “Complaint Seeks […]
The Faster FOIA Act, a modest bit of legislation to establish a commission “to examine the root causes of FOIA delays,” was introduced and passed in the Senate yesterday. It was previously passed in May, but the resulting bill was amended by the House in order to serve as a vehicle for its debt ceiling […]
A judge ruled on Friday that New York Times reporter James Risen will not have to testify about the identity of a source in the upcoming trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who is accused of leaking classified information to Risen. The July 29 court order (pdf) said that Risen must testify only about […]
One of the peculiar features of the prosecution of suspected leaker Jeffrey Sterling is that he is charged with a seemingly unlikely count of “mail fraud.” The government’s contention (in Count Eight of the indictment) is that by leaking information to author James Risen, whose books containing that information were later sent by mail to […]
“The challenges facing LE [law enforcement] increase with the introduction of each new wireless device,” according to a newly disclosed FBI publication (pdf) which traces the development of wireless communications. The publication, entitled “Wireless Evolution”, was prepared by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division and published in Emerging Technologies Research Bulletin in March 2011. A copy […]
FAS report addressing security concerns at Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and identifies specific terrorists within Pakistan who are motivated and potentially capable of taking Pakistani nuclear assets.
July 31st is the 20-year anniversary of signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and the Soviet Union. The treaty, also known as START I, marked the beginning of a treaty-based reduction of U.S. and Soviet (later Russian) strategic nuclear forces after the end of the Cold War. START I […]
The government’s treatment of former National Security Agency official Thomas Drake was abusive and akin to acts of British tyranny in pre-Revolutionary War days, said Judge Richard D. Bennett at the July 15 sentencing hearing which concluded the Drake case, one of the Obama Administration’s record number of anti-“leak” prosecutions. A transcript (pdf) of that […]
Although the indictment of Thomas Drake on charges of mishandling classified information has been dismissed, the case continues to generate significant new ripples. Today, the Drake defense team filed a motion (pdf) to remove the court-imposed restrictions on one of the documents that Mr. Drake was accused of unlawfully possessing so that the purported classification […]
“Congress must take the lead in challenging the laws and practices that have allowed excessive secrecy to become the dominant feature of our national security culture,” the American Civil Liberties Union urged in a new report on government secrecy. “The excessive secrecy that hides how the government pursues its national security mission is undermining the […]
Public cynicism about politics in general and about Congress in particular should not be allowed to obscure an appreciation of the vital role of Congress in our system of government, writes constitutional scholar Louis Fisher in his latest book, “Defending Congress and the Constitution.” “Without a strong Congress, we cannot speak of democracy,” he says. […]
ABOUT THIS REPORT (click to show) At some point, most security analysts face the dilemma of balancing expediency with analytical thoroughness. Such is the case with Norway’s Anders Breivik. As his victims await burial, Breivik’s treatise—the 1500 page, 2083: A European Declaration of Independence (click here for PDF link)—became available only a few days ago. […]