House Committee Prepares to Tear down CIA to Protect Nancy Pelosi

The House Intelligence Committee will launch an investigation to determine whether the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress earlier about a secret plan to train teams to kill Al Qaeda leaders abroad.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Tex., chairman of the committee, announced the investigation in a statement Friday, saying the inquiry "will focus on the core issue of how the congressional intelligence committees and Congress are kept fully and currently informed."

Reyes said the probe will be conducted in a "bipartisan manner."

"As I have said in the past, the committee supports the efforts of the CIA workforce in its difficult mission to keep America safe," he said in the statement. "I intend to make this investigation fair and thorough, and it is my goal that it will not become a distraction to the men and women of the CIA."

The committee will determine whether the CIA violated the National Security Act, which requires, with rare exceptions, that Congress be informed of covert activities.

But the top Republican on the House committee is skeptical that the investigation will be conducted in a bipartisan manner, claiming that Democrats are "putting their partisan conclusions ahead of facts" because the facts don't support the idea that the National Security Act was violated.

"In the absence of substantiated facts, to even speculate on potential criminal behavior shows that this is little more than partisan, political theater and continues the politicization of important intelligence matters by Democrats," Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., said in a statement.

CIA Director Leon Panetta told the committee about the program on June 24, a day after he first learned of the program and canceled it himself.

Panetta told the committee that as vice president Dick Cheney had directed the CIA not to inform Congress about the operation, sparking an outcry among Democrats.

Republicans have dismissed Democratic outrage about the Panetta revelation as an attempt to provide political cover to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in May accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about its use of waterboarding.

Hoekstra echoed that argument in his statement Friday when he expressed hope that the committee can reach a bipartisan agreement on how to investigate the issue.

"But at no time will the Republicans of this committee agree to or take part in congressional Democrats efforts to tear down the CIA to provide cover for Speaker Pelosi," he said.

FOX News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Handcuffing the CIA

Late last night while leaving a comment on Dread Pundit I found myself getting a little carried away in the comment box. I sometimes do that. Usually I don't have time to leave lengthy comments, but on this issue of torture and the sworn duty of the president to protect us a left a longer than usually comment. I'll share it with you now.

"What is or what isn't torture is the question. A question without a clear answer. The question should be will rough interrogation save hundreds or even thousands of lives and if so do we do it. It is the sworn duty of the president to defend Americans not to protect the rights of foreign nationals who may have vital information necessary to carry out that duty. Obama recently made a statement at one of his many public appearances and said, (I have to paraphrase): Yes information was obtained the question is could we have gotten it without harsh methods. This was without a doubt the most ignorant statements one in his position could make and no one member of the press called him on it. The implication of his answer was that the CIA interrogators immediately went to harsh methods when they started questioning the terrorist. That is not how things are done and Obama is aware of that. The CIA does not use harsh methods until all other measures have been exhausted. And as for the terrorist giving misleading information---of course that happens, but the information is checked out and if it is incorrect the CIA goes after the prisoner again and again and finally they get the truth. And in many cases lives are saved as a result of their efforts. To take this tool away from us is to condemn some Americans, not to torture, but to death at sometime in the future. This in not acceptable, this would be a criminal act on the part of the president and a violation of the oath he took. And if such an unthinkable thing should occur the president should be impeached and put on trial in the Senate and the country at that time would applaud that action. Obama may be able to walk on water, but he is skating on thin ice by restricting the actions of those who try to defend us. If he continues to listen to those voices on the far left, the voices coming from a vocal minority, the voices of the hate America crowd, the voices of weakness and appeasement Americans may die and their deaths will be on the hands of this indecisive weakling".

Nancy Pelosi: More Taxes and More Lies

by Ron Russell

Before I get into the lies let me say something about Nancy Pelosi and taxes, particularly the so-called "Windfall Tax on Retirement Income".

Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way of saying to the American people, you're so darn stupid that we're going to keep doing this until we drain every cent from you. That's what the Speaker of the House is saying.

Nancy Pelosi wants a Windfall Tax on Retirement Income. In other words tax what you have made by investing toward your retirement. This woman is a nut case! You aren't going to believe this.

Madam speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds! Alas, it is true - all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!

This woman is frightening.
She quotes...' We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn't Marx say something like this?), in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest.' (I am not rich, are you?)

When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:

'We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as 'Americans'.'

(Read that quote again and again and let it sink in.) 'Lower your retirement, give it to others who have not worked as you have for it'.

Now why would Nancy Pelosi want to do this, what could her motives be. Could it be that's she is just one of those bleeding heart liberals who feel its their duty to help the poor down-trodden masses. Or maybe its that California has the great bulk of these illegal aliens that are in the country and she sees the necessity of helping them and by doing so to help her state with the burden that is taking California down the road to bankruptcy. Finally, could it be that those who would get the help she is offering will be so grateful that they will continue to vote for her party in the upcoming elections.

All politicians try to maintain their voters and will do most anything to that end. Nancy is no different in that respect. And most will bend the truth from time to time this is what we have come to expect. But Mrs. Pelosi has gone a step farther, a step over the line, a step which could and should cost her the speakership of the House. After changing her story on the water-boarding controversy four or five times she has now resorted to calling those at the CIA liars and attempting to deceive Congress. She has nothing else left to fight with but the liar charge leveled at the CIA. She has been caught, caught in a web that she and those on the left have spun. And finding herself in this web of deception she is hollowing foul and time out--but Nancy the clock is running and the onrushing events are over-taking you. The crowd is roaring and the game is coming to an end and with it your speakership, pitiful as it was, is quickly becoming history.