1115.org

The long knives have clearly been sharpened. And some of them have clearly been handed to Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and high priest of the cult of Bush. There was presumably some expectation that such an intelligent man, with so much intelligence experience, would be able to be able to stick in those knives, and twist them in precisely the way that would cause maximum pain and blood loss to the twistees.

But like other best-laid plans of these mice who call themselves men, this one looks like it ganged agley.

First, Roberts released a statement claiming that the SWIFT surveillance program was “properly overseen by Congress”:

“There was no public interest served by disclosing an effective and highly classified intelligence program that is legal and properly overseen by Congress and the executive branch. The New York Times knew that and printed the story anyway,” Roberts said in a statement released with his letter to Negroponte.

It’s legal because John Snow told us so (even though he has no way of knowing). It’s properly overseen by Congress because Pat Roberts, who should know, told us so. And it’s properly overseen by the executive branch because that’s the definition of the executive branch’s role in government—to do what is right and necessary, and to oversee itself in the doing thereof.

Then, yesterday evening, Pat Roberts appeared on The Situation Room and put on a bewildering performance. Initially, every time Wolf Blitzer tried to ask him about the SWIFT surveillance program, he launched into an answer about the NSA domestic spying program (the one President Bush confirmed last December). And every time he was asked a point blank question about when the member of the Senate Intelligence Committee were briefed about the SWIFT surveillance program, he refused to answer. First he hid behind a vague “I think”, then he flatly refused to “confirm or deny” the specific date. Blitzer had asked, in effect, if it’s true that the committee was briefed only after the NYT had latched on to the story.

ROBERTS: … I met with Bill Keller. I met with him the day before that story broke. I can’t speak for the others who met with him and I won’t do that. And the whole question was, were we briefed? And the answer was yes.

BLITZER: When were you briefed?

ROBERTS: That was December 15th.

BLITZER: Of this last year?

ROBERTS: Yes, and on December 16th …

BLITZER: Even though the program had been going on for at least three years or so?

ROBERTS: Yes, and the “New York Times” waited on it and waited on it and waited on it. Now, the real reason they published it was that James Risen had it in his book.

BLITZER: That was on the NSA program?

ROBERTS: Yes, that’s correct.

BLITZER: But I’m talking about the bank transactions. When were you …

ROBERTS: Now, I’m not talking about the bank transactions now and I want to take one step further. After those questions were posed in that meeting, on the very next day that story ran. So we were set up. All we were, were a check off box.

BLITZER: That’s on the NSA but I’m talking about the bank …

ROBERTS: And everyone urged him not to run that story.

BLITZER: The NSA story?

ROBERTS: That is correct.

BLITZER: Did you speak to Bill Keller also on this story?

ROBERTS: No, I don’t think I would want to speak to Bill Keller on any story in regards to what is prudent and what is not in trying to publish classified information.

BLITZER: Can you tell us when you were briefed as the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on this bank transaction story?

ROBERTS: We had been briefed on several occasions.

BLITZER: Over these years, or is it just relatively recently because the suggestion has been once the “New York Times” started asking administration officials about this story, then the administration rushed to brief the legislative branch.

ROBERTS: No I don’t think that’s an accurate description. I think members of the committee had been briefed on this program.

BLITZER: Years ago, because it started apparently right after 9/11?

ROBERTS: I’m not going to — I can’t either confirm or deny the specific date. I just know that the Intelligence Committee has been briefed. And it is a detailed plan — I mean it isn’t any secret anymore. And obviously al Qaeda and others and the terrorists changed the way they operate. They are not stupid.

Hey, Patsy baby, if, in fact, the program was properly overseen by your Committee, you should probably not refuse to confirm or deny stuff like this. No public interest is served by your childish evasions, and it doesn’t help the glorious President either. On the other hand, if the program wasn’t properly overseen by Congress, and all you’re doing is deliberately releasing statements in which you make false statements that cannot stand up to scrutiny, if would certainly be very foolish to answer questions like the ones Wolf Blitzer repeatedly tried to ask. Just keep evading and losing your temper. There is nothing better you can do. Not once you’ve released those false statements.

Update 8:15 PDT by Matt:

I think we have our answer. Either Pat Roberts is lying, or Rep Jane Harman is:

The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Monday that she and many of her colleagues on the committee were briefed on the program by Treasury Department officials only after the administration learned that it would be exposed in the media.
Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., said she did not learn about the transaction-monitoring program until last month, even though it has been in operation since shortly after Sept. 11, 2001.
“They knew it was going to leak,” Harman said, adding that because the program was hidden from most members of the committee for more than four years she had “significant concerns” about the lack of oversight.