http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00597.html

Bush Condemns Leak of Terror Finance Info

By TERENCE HUNT
The Associated Press
Monday, June 26, 2006; 6:52 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Monday it was "disgraceful" that the news media had disclosed a secret CIA-Treasury program to track millions of financial records in search of terrorist suspects. The White House accused The New York Times of breaking a long tradition of keeping wartime secrets.

"The fact that a newspaper disclosed it makes it harder to win this war on terror," Bush said, leaning forward and jabbing his finger during a brief question-and-answer session with reporters in the Roosevelt Room.

The Times has defended its effort, saying publication has served America's public interest.

The newspaper, along with the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, revealed last week that Treasury officials, beginning shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, had obtained access to an extensive international financial data base _ the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or Swift.

The New York Times late last year also disclosed that the National Security Agency had been conducting warrantless surveillance in the United States since 2002 of people with suspected al-Qaida ties.

"Some in the press, in particular The New York Times, have made the job of defending against further terrorist attacks more difficult by insisting on publishing detailed information about vital national security programs," Vice President Dick Cheney said in a speech at a political fundraising luncheon in Grand Island, Neb.

"The New York Times has now twice _ two separate occasions _ disclosed programs; both times they had been asked not to publish those stories by senior administration officials," Cheney said. "They went ahead anyway. The leaks to The New York Times and the publishing of those leaks is very damaging."

Bill Keller, executive editor of the Times, defended the decision to publish the story. He said the Times had spent weeks discussing with the administration whether to publish the report.

"Most Americans seem to support extraordinary measures in defense against this extraordinary threat, but some officials who have been involved in these programs have spoken to the Times about their discomfort over the legality of the government's actions and over the adequacy of oversight," Keller said in a note on the paper's Web site Sunday.

"We believe The Times and others in the press have served the public interest by accurately reporting on these programs so that the public can have an informed view of them," Keller wrote.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said the story represented "a highly unusual departure" from the practice of newspapers honoring the secrecy of sensitive matters during wartime.

"The New York Times and other news organizations ought to think long and hard about whether a public's right to know, in some cases, might overwrite somebody's right to live, and whether, in fact, the publications of these could place in jeopardy the safety of fellow Americans," Snow said.

Snow said the Times and other papers had made inquiries about the money-tracking program. "But this was one where the New York Times clearly was leading and everybody waited until it posted its piece on line to do their own publications," Snow said.

Using broad government subpoenas, the money-tracking program allows U.S. counterterrorism analysts to obtain financial information from a vast database maintained by a company based in Belgium. It routes about 11 million financial transactions daily among 7,800 banks and other financial institutions in 200 countries.

Some Democrats in Congress have said the program raises concerns about intrusions on privacy and was another step in an aggressive Bush administration expansion of executive-branch powers. On the other side of the argument, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has urged the Justice Department to "begin an investigation and prosecution of the New York Times _ the reporters, the editors and the publisher."

Bush said Congress had been briefed on the program and "what we did was fully authorized under the law. And the disclosure of this program is disgraceful."

He said that Americans "expect this government to protect our constitutional liberties and, at the same time, make sure we understand what the terrorists are trying to do. The 9/11 Commission recommended that the government be robust in tracing money. If you want to figure out what the terrorists are doing, you try to follow their money. And that's exactly what we're doing. "

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.

I'm kinda undecided on this one, leaning towards the side of the newspapers though. Any reason why this should or shouldn't have been leaked?

If a newspaper can find out secret security information, how secret was it in the first place?

That is a good question. To me, wouldn't Bush point the blame at the people who are making the info available as opposed to the paper reporting it. I'm not sure whether it is right or wrong (who am I to judge?), but the paper's main concern is to sell papers, and a story of "secret" info is just what they are looking for.

I think the only solution would be for people who know the info to keep their mouth shut to begin with.

But it does seem funny that the only info we get from this "president" is the leaked info. The secrecy that always seems to surround this White House only makes the press and most of the public more hungry for info.

i never really loved the new york times until the last few weeks.

Dear Bush,

As the press continues to find out how you are circumventing the American system of checks and balances, they will continue to report on it.

Thank you, that is all.

B

"What we were doing was the right thing. Congress was aware of it and we were within the law to do so. The American people expect this government to protect our constitutional liberties and at the same time make sure we understand what the terrorists are trying to do," Bush said.

If Bush's word was good enough, this wouldn't be a problem.

With all seriousness, do you guys really really really think that Congress and the Supreme Court doesn't know this shit is going on? Do you seriously think that they too, don't realize that it's NECESSARY!

For real, what the fuck is wrong with this...

I still fail to see how it's necessary to skip warrants.

I actually didn't really care that this was going on, because I assumed they were doing anyway. If they were tracking everyone's phone calls, it's not a leap to think they are tracking everyone's banking records. The thing that bothers me now is how riled up Republicans and this Adminstration are about it being reported. It makes me believe there is a lot of other shit going on that we have no idea about and may be getting close to knowing about. I think Bush is more pissed that somebody in his Administration would have the audacity to leak this, than he is the NY Times reported it. I also find it odd that the focus is on the NY and LA Times when a conservative newspaper (Wall St. Journal) also reported on it.

Mark it down: this Administration will be the first to try to prosecute the press.

Oh, okay, so it's okay for the media to print secrets, which is illegal. But FUCK NO BUSH! YOU CAN'T BYPASS WARRANTS TO CRIPPLE FINANCES OF TERRORISTS!

Ya know, bet Bush was spying on me when my $500 dollars went from my bank, to Dashen bank in Ethiopia.

Bush should have to get a warrant to study the financial transactions of SUSPECTED terrorists, and if the press finds out he's not doing that, they should alert the nation.

Yes, you are correct.

There is nothing illegal about what was going on...

Again, this is a classic example of how the left puts their hatred of Bush and thirst for power above national security....the outrage on this site and among other whacko blogs with regards to the plame "leak" and on how that was a damage to national security compared with your apathy here is quite telling.

It illustrates that the Democratic party still doesn't even acknowledge that there is a problem with national security and thinks that living in the comfortable bubble of their hostle is a viable option. Usually I view the reactionary posts filled with self-loathing on this site funny...not in this case though.

i'm sure everyone will be quite happy the next time terrorists murder innocents in this country that their bank accounts weren't subject to undue scrutiny.

i hold my civil liberties very important but am honestly at a loss as to how people could be opposed to programs like this and the phone records database. didn't the article in the nyt also report that the program was legal and had oversight?

So, what's the problem of requiring a warrant? Especially if it can be done in a quick and secret manner?

i think the problem here, for most people, is the secrecy. and the new york times blew that secrecy for the government. how many other programs are secret? the times has blown open two in a matter of weeks. is it really terrible for the times to blow it open? shouldn't the citizens have a right to know what's going on?

Here is my reactionary and self-loathing filled post