The fight over national security leaks in the Obama administration took a sharply partisan turn Tuesday with the introduction of a Senate resolution by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) calling for an independent investigation.
Republicans also sharply attacked President Obama and Vice President Biden, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accusing the two of hypocrisy for calling for a special counsel during the Bush administration when they were serving as senators.
“All we’re asking for is what Senator Obama and Senator Biden asked for in previous national security events involving corruption of the government,” Graham said, referring to the Valerie Plame and Jack Abramoff cases.
“I guess the difference is we’re supposed to trust Democratic administrations and you can’t trust Republican administrations,” Graham said.
McCain and Graham said on the Senate floor that a special counsel is necessary because of possible conflicts of interest from sources of the leaks within the Obama administration.
Graham also accused Democrats of having a double standard at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday at which Attorney General Eric Holder testified.
“There’s no doubt in my mind if the shoe was on the other foot, you and everybody on that side would be screaming,” Graham told Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) after Graham had urged Holder to appoint a special counsel.
That comment sparked protests from both Leahy and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who said that Graham had gone “over the line.”
Senate Democrats blocked McCain’s resolution Tuesday afternoon. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) objected after McCain asked for unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of his resolution.
Criticisms of the leaks last week were notable for their bipartisanship, with members of both parties objecting to some of the worst national security leaks they said they had ever seen.
But McCain ran into opposition from Democrats with his Tuesday measure, and the hearing included new partisan sniping.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has fiercely criticized the leaks, said she opposes the appointment of a special counsel. Just last week she had said she was undecided.
“To have a fight over how we do this now will set back any leak investigation,” Feinstein said the Judiciary hearing.
Holder defended the independence of the two U.S. attorneys he appointed to investigate the leaks in the face of Republican criticism at the hearing.
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2 Responses
There is very little mystery over the sources of the leaks. The two stories that appeared in the NY Times quoted “US officials” either by name or in ways that made it clear they were White House insiders. And the makers of the Osama bin Laden movie isn’t even hiding that they were given unprecedented access to make what amounts to an 0bama campaign commercial. This trail leads straight to the top, and an independent counsel is needed.
Its nice to see Lindsay Grahamnesty, aka Goober, fighting for the right side of things. I wonder if he’s reading the poll numbers or tea leaves (pun intended!).