Thom Hartmann: Did Darrell Issa Commit Treason?

[thomhartmann]

For the last two years - the Republican Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee - this guy, Darrell Issa, a former small-time crook - has been committed to burning down the Obama Presidency. Since day one - he's used his gavel on the committee to obstruct the Obama administration with with investigations and conspiracy theories that you only hear on Fox so-called News - things like Solyndra and Fast and Furious. And now - his commitment to destroy President Obama has led Darrel Issa to - in my opinion - commit treason against the United States of America.

Last Friday - Darrell Issa released 166 pages of State Department documents that were classified as "Sensitive" and related to the September 11th attack on our consulate in Benghazi. You see - after failing to burn the President over Solyndra and Fast and Furious - Issa made sure he was going to exploit this tragedy in Libya to its fullest extent. And part of his exploitation is to not only embarrass the administration by revealing everything they knew in Libya before and after the attacks - but also to sabotage the administration's foreign policy in that nation.

As part of the document dump - Issa chose not to redact the names of Libyans who've been working with the U.S. government in Libya. Of course - now that those names are public - those men and women are in danger and are likely being hunted down right now by the men who attacked us on 9-11 in Bengazhi. Also - these key intelligence operatives are now compromised - and, thus, can no longer be used to give us intelligence - which hurts the President's ability to conduct foreign policy and counter-terror in Libya.

Senator John Kerry - the Chair of the SENATE Foreign Relations Committee released a statement about Issa saying: "The wholesale release of State Department documents by the House Oversight Committee has exposed Libyan nationals working with the United States to possible danger. This is irresponsible and inexcusable, and...perhaps worst of all, it was entirely avoidable. It is profoundly against America's interests in a difficult region." And Senate Majority Whip Dick Durban echoed those sentiments.

Issa defended his release - saying one of the individuals he exposed was already known to be working with the United States. He had nothing to say about the several other assets he exposed in Libya who had cooperated with us - and who are now in danger. Even Wikileaks went to great lengths to redact sensitive names when it released its trove of State Department cables last year. But Issa, in his hysterical rush to burn the Obama administration before the election, chose to not even take these common-sense measures.

He chose to put at risk the lives of innocent Libyans and Americans in Libya - because embarrassing the White House politically is his top priority - no matter the consequences. According to Article 3, Section 3 of the United States Constitution: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."

By releasing the names of Libyans who've been working with the United States in a very dangerous part of the world - Issa has provided aid to our enemies in the region - those same enemies who attacked our consulate on September 11th and killed our ambassador and three others. This is treason. Darrel Issa should be stripped of his gavel on the Oversight Committee - and kicked out of Congress. Let him go back to making millions in California selling car alarms made in Asia - he's doing too much damage here in Washington, DC.

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[Angry Dragon]

1. short answer --- YES

[liberal N proud]

2. Someone finally said the word for this criminal act

[hrmjustin]

3. Yes!

[yends21012]

4. If it is treason, arrest Darrell Issa

Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution, states:

“They [Congress] shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.”

[aquart]

5. Yes.

[HopeHoops]

6. He needs an orange jumpsuit.

[Plucketeer]

9. Yes - and given

a long stay without due process.

[HopeHoops]

10. I hear there are some open spaces at Gitmo.

[Plucketeer]

11. Now THAT would be as close to justice as we could get

Of course, we'll never reverse all the damage and skullduggery that Issa has perpetrated upon us.

[Cleita]

7. He needs to be investigated and then have the book thrown at him.

Unfortunately, since this was not done when Valerie Plame was outted, Issa thinks he can get away with it. I'm afraid he might be right if we don't start to stop this sort of thing going on.

[kooljerk666]

8. WHo revealed more "classified" info Issa or Bradley Manning & Julian Assange....

As far as I know Issa revealed real classified data.

Manning & Assange revealed info that was embarrassing but nothing "secret" like Libyans names who were assisting the US or CIA station locations.

I am gonna be calling both senators (1 GOPher) & GOPher Rep Gerlach & demand some answers.

If Bradley Manning & Julian Assange are in so much trouble for less treachery than Issa, I would like some explanations.

[wildbilln864]

12. k&r! nt