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D'Oh: House Panel Screw-Up Reveals Whistleblower Email Addresses
Here's a whoops with a capital W.
This summer the House Judiciary Committee launched an effort to collect tips from would-be whistleblowers in the Justice Department. The U.S. attorney firings scandal had shown that much was amiss in the Department, and with the danger of retaliation very real, the committee had set up a form on the committee's website for people to blow the whistle privately about abuses there. Although the panel said it would not accept anonymous tips, it assured those who came forward that their identity would be held in the "strictest confidence."
But in an email sent out today, the committee inadvertently sent the email addresses of all the would-be whistleblowers to everyone who had written in to the tipline. The committee email was sent to tipsters who had used the website form, including presumably whistleblowers themselves, and all of the recipients of the email were accidentally included in the "to:" field -- instead of concealing those addresses with a so-called blind carbon copy or "bcc:".
Only the email addresses were exposed; none of the names or other identifying information of the whistleblowers was revealed. The blunder, however, was noticed by a number of people who had used the website form and received today's email. One disgruntled recipient replied to the entire list of whistleblowers angrily complaining about the snafu; two others forwarded the committee email to TPMmuckraker with similar complaints.
Compounding the mistake, the committee later sent out a second email attempting to recall the original email; it, too, included all recipients in the "to:" field, according to a recipient of the emails.
A committee spokesperson emailed the following statement in response to TPMmuckraker's questions:
The tip line was created to be a confidential method for Justice Department employees to provide the Judiciary Committee with information that might aid the Committee in its ongoing investigation of politicization at the Justice Department. Because of the confidentiality agreement, the Committee will not discuss any emails sent on this tip line. A technological error in a recent communication inadvertently disclosed certain email addresses. The Committee has not begun its review of the emails, and does not know if any of them are in fact from Justice Department employees as opposed to private citizens expressing more general views. The Committee apologizes for any concern this error may have caused, and is making every effort to protect the confidentiality of those who chose to provide information on the tip line.
It's not immediately clear whether the mistake will lead to the exposure of those who had contacted the committee. There are more than 150 recipient addresses revealed in the email. Some of the email addresses appear to be transparently fake, but there's also, much more troubling, a vice_president@whitehouse.gov carbon copied on the email, which is the public email address for Vice President Dick Cheney. In other words, an email containing the email addresses of all the whistleblowers who had written in to the committee tipline was sent to public email address of Vice President Cheney.
The purpose of today's mis-sent email was, ironically enough, to announce careful new procedures about to be put in place by the committee for reviewing the tips received through the committee's website. No one on the committee or any staff has reviewed any of the tips, pursuant to an agreement reached between committee Democrats and Republicans. Only "Members of the Judiciary Committee, and Committee staff specifically designated by the Democratic Chairman or Ranking Republican Member, will have access to the e-mails, and they are prohibited from removing any e-mail from Committee offices," today's email read. "This message is also to advise you that you have three business days... to notify us if you wish to withdraw your e-mail rather than have it reviewed by the Committee under these procedures."
The email can be read below the fold:
Subject: Important notice re House Judiciary Committee tip line, e-mails
You are among the people who have submitted e-mails to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on its Web site tip line for Department of Justice employees to report allegations or concerns regarding possible wrongdoing involving the Department. This message is to inform you that the Committee is now ending the tip line and has voted to approve procedures governing the confidentiality of the e-mails received.
Under these procedures, only Members of the Judiciary Committee, and Committee staff specifically designated by the Democratic Chairman or Ranking Republican Member, will have access to the e-mails, and they are prohibited from removing any e-mail from Committee offices. Any broader disclosure of any e-mail would first require a vote of the Committee to authorize it. It would be the Committee¹s intent to consult with the sender of any e-mail before any such vote takes place.
This message is also to advise you that you have three business days until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30 to notify us if you wish to withdraw your e-mail rather than have it reviewed by the Committee under these procedures. If you so notify us, your e-mail, along with any records pertaining to its submission, will be destroyed. If you do not so notify us, we will conclude that you have agreed to submit your e-mail to the Committee under these procedures.
Any request that an e-mail be withdrawn should state in the subject space "PLEASE WITHDRAW E-MAIL," and should include in the body of the request the e-mail address under which your e-mail was submitted, if different than the one used to make the request to withdraw. It should also specify the date and time, if known, or the approximate date and time, that the e-mail was submitted.
Thank you for your interest in the Judiciary Committee¹s work.
Comments (154)
Anonymous wrote on October 26, 2007 10:33 PM:UNBELIEVABLE. How many careers have been changed as a result.
prostratedragon wrote on October 26, 2007 10:54 PM:Chilling. A very small point is that this is just what I dislike about grope&grunt interfaces for important tasks: they make such blunders much too easy to commit. In fact, it can be more productive to have to make an individually-addressed, readily checkable memo and envelope to every intended recipient.
The other thing is that I hope I mean blunders, and not "blunders."
axlotl wrote on October 26, 2007 11:02 PM:Idiots.
I find it hard to believe, though, that the email from the vice president is not classified among the "transparently fake" addresses submitted. "Whistleblower" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I consider the vice president.
axlotl wrote on October 26, 2007 11:03 PM:Idiots.
I find it hard to believe, though, that the email from the vice president is not classified among the "transparently fake" addresses submitted. "Whistleblower" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I consider the vice president. Although it is close.
Tfatha wrote on October 26, 2007 11:03 PM:"The R's are corrupt and the D's are inept." Tell me again why I shouldn't believe this?
Davis13 wrote on October 26, 2007 11:05 PM:We know who you are and why you ratted us out. Retaliation is in order.
I guess that stopped anymore whistleblowers. Sounds like they did it on purpose to plug those leaks. It would be their MO.
BirdDog wrote on October 26, 2007 11:05 PM:"A technological error in a recent communication inadvertently disclosed certain email addresses."
Uhm....I think the technology did exactly what it was supposed to...this would be in the ever-popular "human error" category.
anonymouse wrote on October 26, 2007 11:10 PM:.... just in case anyone living in this country STILL believed our beauracracy was actually capable of doing ANYTHING right...
johnnydoughey wrote on October 26, 2007 11:15 PM:An important thing to remember is that, although whistleblowers lives may have just been destroyed, there will be no consequences for those morons responsible for their names (googlesearching the addresses give the names) being disclosed...
Eazy wrote on October 26, 2007 11:22 PM:"Error" is being generous.
averageguy wrote on October 26, 2007 11:26 PM:After the M. Miranda incident - would any whistleblower not have figured the veeps office wasn't getting the tips in real time in the first place? At a very minimum one would figure the if this administration is reading anyone's email it's the email that is critical of it.
Easyrider wrote on October 26, 2007 11:31 PM:Maybe now the stupid and inept Democratic Leadership will stop dragging their feet and show the backbone necessary to end this criminal enterprise.
Mark in CA wrote on October 26, 2007 11:31 PM:This just points up the advantage of a listserv or mailing list over a manual list.
mattstan wrote on October 26, 2007 11:37 PM:This just points up the advantage of a listserv or mailing list over a manual list.
EXACTLY. I intended to post this comment as well.
LionelEHutz wrote on October 26, 2007 11:42 PM:Conyers, taking the term fuckup to a completely new level.
No wonder the SOB hasn't pursued impeachment. He's not competent to do it in the first place.
Utopia wrote on October 26, 2007 11:55 PM:Tell me again how the VP's email address got on the list of whistle blowers? Seriously, I don't get that part of this snafu.
U
rmiller wrote on October 26, 2007 11:56 PM:Congressional staffers typically are young, aggressive workaholics. There is nothing in the job description that requires them to be moral, ethical or even smart.
hoppy wrote on October 26, 2007 11:56 PM:Some staffer had to have done this. It wasn't something a computer dreamed up and sent independently. That staffer should be looking for a new job right now. This is funny only like a pratfall that kills someone is funny.
And, of course no staffer should be unsupervised. So, a supervisor fell down on the job too, and should be looking for a new job tomorrow.
That's what it means when you "accept responsibility".
Orwell's Intuition wrote on October 26, 2007 11:56 PM:I agree this is a major blunder, but all of those piling on the "inept Dems" and Conyers specifically, please remember that if it weren't for the corrupt bush administration and its punitive measures against those fighting the corruption, there would be no need for extreme measures to protect whistleblowers.
Two cases in point: Valerie Plame and Sibel Edmonds. They aren't disguising their identities now, and yet the public flogging by the right continues unabated. Sibel Edmonds in fact is under a gag order not to reveal what she knows.
newspaperbrat wrote on October 26, 2007 11:57 PM:ReElect President Gore & VP Edwards 2008!
Josh Marshall wrote on October 26, 2007 11:58 PM:As to the question of how the VP's email address got on there, our working assumption was that someone sent in a joke/rant email through the tipline and used cheney's email as the from address. Basically a prank.
hoppy wrote on October 26, 2007 11:59 PM:rmiller, those staffers have to be supervised. Everyone is supervised except for Bush - and even he is supervised by Cheney.
The supervisor apparently didn't grasp the meaning of "supervise". Terminate his/her employment - now.
Paranoid yet? wrote on October 27, 2007 12:09 AM:Another working hypothesis: deliberate sabotage
Remember, these guys are up against the data sweeping of everything!
eyeball wrote on October 27, 2007 12:23 AM:
EH wrote on October 27, 2007 12:23 AM:Who the heck would be stupid enough to leave their own email or IP address trail on a whistleblower report to congress, the original leak factory? talk about non-secure. people need to be smarter.
Email is not a secure form of communication anyway.
larue wrote on October 27, 2007 12:52 AM:I'm more inclined to believe the HJC is comprimised by the very Fundie Thug WannaBe's as is the rest of the government . . . witness what we've seen SO far with only the USAG issues.
And that inclination of mine above would suggest this was NO mistake.
As was said above, lives and careers, and ultimately, JUSTICE, are batted down, beaten and shattered.
Whose side is Conners on anyway, I've oft wondered since the first hearings earlier this year that he conducted . . . USAG I think . . .
evan wrote on October 27, 2007 12:53 AM:Give 'em a break. They were probably using AOL software.
Actually, you know something's really stupid when it can't be blamed on Microsoft.
Duckman GR wrote on October 27, 2007 12:54 AM:The Democrats are a bunch of whiny losers and need to go away. Retire, join the gop, join the peace corps, I don't care, just leave and get some people in there who actually know how to fight politics.
These guys are an embarrassment.
rageahol wrote on October 27, 2007 12:55 AM:the UPenn vet school did the same thing about 6 months ago with what i presume was everyone who got a certain MCAT score or higher.
anyone wanna buy an email list?
mike moran wrote on October 27, 2007 12:57 AM:This is no "technological error" any more than it would be a mechanical error for this staffer to have driven their car into a light pole. I believe the helpdesk classification here would be PEBKAC, Problem exists between keyboard and chair.
Utopia wrote on October 27, 2007 12:58 AM:It is craven to try to pawn off some of the blame for this error on tools that these people use every damn day of their working lives.
If this is the means with which they choose to communicate with this vital constituency, their process of drafting, editing, and executing these communications should reflect a level of purpose and discipline that befits the exchange.
I am grievously concerned that this is not an exception...a simple human error, but rather an foreshadowing of the level of competence we can expect to see in this effort.
God help us; we don't know how to help ourselves.
Josh Marshall wrote on October 26, 2007 11:58 PM:
As to the question of how the VP's email address got on there, our working assumption was that someone sent in a joke/rant email through the tipline and used cheney's email as the from address. Basically a prank.
---
So, no one checked the incoming emails? Something like "vice_president@whitehouse.gov" didn't catch anyone's eye? For the 4 months or so this has been in operation, no one ever looked for obvious fakes, duplicates, etc.? I wonder what other addresses were on that list. NSA? CIA? White House or DOJ operatives?
This sounds like a poor job of supervising as others have said. I mean, it's not like this was someone's Christmas card list.
U
Utopia wrote on October 27, 2007 1:01 AM:mike moran wrote:
God help us; we don't know how to help ourselves.
---
Or as Pogo put it, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
U
Utopia wrote on October 27, 2007 1:02 AM:mike moran wrote:
God help us; we don't know how to help ourselves.
---
Or as Pogo put it, "We have met the enemy and he is us."
U
mac wrote on October 27, 2007 1:35 AM:Now what would be really good is if the HRC were running an op against Cheney, and that list was mostly fraudulent. Maybe those are the guys that the HRC would like to see canned in the justice department.
But I doubt it.
Tross wrote on October 27, 2007 1:49 AM:It's as if they didn't want to have to deal with any really big tips.
Why encourage a whistleblower to withdraw their tips?
It's like a veiled threat that after 3 days "who knows where your identity may end up?"
jollyroger wrote on October 27, 2007 2:05 AM:Shall we delude ourselves that the only email address anonymously entered as the terminus for future communications back from the investigating committee which led to Dick Cheney's blackberry was the one that actually carried his name?
Surely, one or more on the mailing list otherwise innocuous by title or name represented countervailing measures from the miscreant community.
The sin is in the failure to "exclude the other addressees' identities" which is a toggle in most email programs.
audit the polls wrote on October 27, 2007 2:07 AM:With this administration, there are probably some horrifying things coming through that anonymous tips line. 911 stuff, perhaps. So they made it un-anonymous, then gave everyone 3 days to back out. This is very hardball stuff. What's next death threats?
Matt in Costa Rica wrote on October 27, 2007 2:30 AM:There should be firings, but these people will probably get promoted.
Yes it was a stupid mistake, but I doubt any whistleblowers lives were ruined. Would you use a personal or work email if you were a whistleblower? It's just too easy to open an anonymous email account with any of the major mail service providers.
audit the polls wrote on October 27, 2007 3:15 AM:It sounds like a bunch of people looking for wrong-doing, hoping to god they don't find any.
The Obnox wrote on October 27, 2007 3:49 AM:Holy fucking shit. How incredibly stupid.
Deighved H Stern MD wrote on October 27, 2007 3:54 AM:I do not understand why they were using standard e-mail addressing methods to begin with. They should have been maintaining a private listserv for exactly this reason.
It IS too easy to make this mistake when addressing an e-mail. Human beings make mistakes. It is the responsibility of those who put these projects to anticipate such common errors and guard against them. "Giving instructions" does not count, especially when a "failsafe" is so incredibly straightforward.
nadjja wrote on October 27, 2007 4:01 AM:"Yes it was a stupid mistake, but I doubt any whistleblowers lives were ruined. Would you use a personal or work email if you were a whistleblower? It's just too easy to open an anonymous email account with any of the major mail service providers."
That was my first reaction too. However, since the HJC didn't accept anonymous tips in the first place, there was no point in using an anonymous email address. If these people decided that they trusted the HJC enough to submit a tip, they probably used their "real" address.
A wrote on October 27, 2007 4:03 AM:Undoubtedly the staffer who sent out this e-mail revealing at least the e-mail addresses of internal critics of the Department is now being considered for a better-paid job in the Bush administration, or at least with the Republican National Committee or similar.
Let's hope all whistleblowers used a private anonymous e-mail address, and not their work address.
muymalgal wrote on October 27, 2007 4:17 AM:i agree with tross. the 3 days given to recant their statments was a veiled threat.
JGabriel wrote on October 27, 2007 4:55 AM:they just keep overwhelming us.
i am sickened by the way they have trampled our constution and and raped our resources.
fucking disgraceful.
"I believe the helpdesk classification here would be PEBKAC, Problem exists between keyboard and chair."
Actually, as a techie, this type of problem is typically blamed on Sue: Stupid User Error.
moondancer wrote on October 27, 2007 5:07 AM:I can see Darth Vader looking at the list, and telling the dark lord, I'll handle this.
gfw wrote on October 27, 2007 5:58 AM:Of course, if the democrats hired real cutthroat folks like myself, they would have purposefully released this list full of names of folks that didn't cooperate, just to sow panic and dissent in the GOP ranks. What better way to cause infighting and collapse of morale among criminals. I'll have to remember this strategy...
Lou wrote on October 27, 2007 5:59 AM:So appropriate. Social Security lost all of my medical information. I report wrong doing to the Inspector General. THEY DO NOTHING except tell me they will keep my complaint private. Next I get a threatening letter indicating the information has been shared.
hquain wrote on October 27, 2007 6:05 AM:So Social Security Judges can trample the rule of law now?? Well do not ever tell me I was speeding in my car, late on a bill, or that I have committed any legal violation of anything. If Judges can take Bribes at Social Security, I too should be able to live in anarchy and do absolutely anything I want to do anytime I want to do it too......
'Stupid' doesn't cut it. We need a whole new vocabulary to denote transfinite degrees of obtuseness. Forget about publicly writing to 'confidential' sources; what 10 year old thinks that you can 'recall' an email message?
This is sadly reminiscent of the butterfly ballot incident that ushered us into the 21st century. The Dems are evidently too blubber-headed flaky, from top to bottom, to grasp that details matter.
nadjja wrote on October 27, 2007 6:18 AM:On a different note, I find it odd that the Committee would first ask for tips, and then decide what kind of confidentiality procedure to apply to these tips. If you really want to get sensitive information from the right people, you would be careful to state the rules from the start, no?
Anonymous wrote on October 27, 2007 7:36 AM:The list of failings of the Democrat party continues to grow: political cowardice, supporting the war in Iraq, supporting military action against Iran, and now, incompetence. Is the Democrat party really qualified to lead the country?
Pelosi, Reid, Hoyer, Emmanuel, should all step down from the leadership positions. Conyers should step down as head of the HJC.
brighid wrote on October 27, 2007 7:46 AM:David Addington and Gen. Michael Hayden will now be busy tracking down all the sources of these emails, so they can smear them, put them on watch lists to persecute them, and spying on them, tracking their movements online, and in their personal lives. Shame on the committee and whoever is responsible for this mistake.
James wrote on October 27, 2007 7:48 AM:What is the big concern? If the DOJ is not involved in political prosecutions what is the worst that can happen? It is not like the Republicans are vindictive and attach whistlelblowers? Right Ambassador Wilson.
Johann wrote on October 27, 2007 7:55 AM:"only Members of the Judiciary Committee, and Committee staff specifically designated by the Democratic Chairman or Ranking Republican Member, will have access to the e-mails."
They can't be serious if they believe that. The NSA already has all those E-Mails
Mark C wrote on October 27, 2007 8:23 AM:""...only Members of the Judiciary Committee, and Committee staff specifically designated by the Democratic Chairman or Ranking Republican Member, will have access to the e-mails..."
Me and Johann are thinking along the same lines, but when I saw this passage the first thing that crossed my mind was that if they are letting the ReThugs see these names then the whistleblowers cover is already blown anyway.
Still, we just go from incompetent yet ballsy leadership under the ReThugs to incompetent yet cowardly and spineless leadership under the Dimocrats...
Beautiful...
RUN GREEN AL! RUN GREEN!!
Gore wins a Gore/Hillary/Ghouliani matchup hands down. Then we start building a REAL second party in this country!
Erika Froh wrote on October 27, 2007 8:25 AM:My first thought is "Republican mole". I suspect they have someone on the committee staff that is feeding them information. True, this would expose the mole, but perhaps the Republicans were trying to head off something big?
To paraphrase Brad Delong, I hate the way this administration has turned me into a nutbar conspiracy theorist.
Goldspinner wrote on October 27, 2007 8:34 AM:This smells like an intentional leak to stifle further inquiry and to encourage more attrition at the DOJ. Not all of the members of the House Judiciary Committee are Democrats. Johann's right: whistleblower anonymity never existed. Chilling!
USMC Ken wrote on October 27, 2007 9:14 AM:I love it. Conyers screws up, violates privacy rights, outs a bunch of "whistleblowers" and the first thought of the geniuses on this blog is "The devil, I mean Cheney, made him do it." The vast right wing conspiracy is really having a chuckle about this one.
Libertexian wrote on October 27, 2007 9:15 AM:Congress... 535 reasons to support term limits with NO benefits and NO grandfathering tenure. Send these blundering idiots home NOW ! ! !
capital L wrote on October 27, 2007 9:31 AM:Wait a freaking second here people. If the Republicans had a "mole," why would they leak it this way? Common sense is in very short supply.
SFC MAC wrote on October 27, 2007 9:32 AM:axlotl wrote on October 26, 2007 11:03 PM:
Idiots.
I find it hard to believe, though, that the email from the vice president is not classified among the "transparently fake" addresses submitted. "Whistleblower" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I consider the vice president. Although it is close.
Oh, phucking waaaaaaaa!!!! Good gawd, the incessent "evil Cheney" shit has wornthin. Te touble with "whistleblowers" is the anonimity, which IMO makes them craven for not standing up and facing hose they accuse. "Craven" is jut one of he adjectives that come to my mind.
SFC MAC wrote on October 27, 2007 9:32 AM:axlotl wrote on October 26, 2007 11:03 PM:
Idiots.
I find it hard to believe, though, that the email from the vice president is not classified among the "transparently fake" addresses submitted. "Whistleblower" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I consider the vice president. Although it is close.
Oh, phucking waaaaaaaa!!!! Good gawd, the incessent "evil Cheney" shit has worn thin. The touble with "whistleblowers" is the anonimity, which IMO makes them craven for not standing up and facing hose they accuse. "Craven" is jut one of he adjectives that come to my mind.
SFC MAC wrote on October 27, 2007 9:32 AM:axlotl wrote on October 26, 2007 11:03 PM:
Idiots.
I find it hard to believe, though, that the email from the vice president is not classified among the "transparently fake" addresses submitted. "Whistleblower" is not the first adjective that comes to mind when I consider the vice president. Although it is close.
Oh, phucking waaaaaaaa!!!! Good gawd, the incessent "evil Cheney" shit has worn thin. The touble with "whistleblowers" is the anonimity, which IMO makes them craven for not standing up and facing those they accuse. "Craven" is jut one of he adjectives that come to my mind.
Freewheelin' Freddie wrote on October 27, 2007 9:52 AM:Look for the guy drivin' the new Coupe DeVille...
Lynn Lightfoot wrote on October 27, 2007 9:53 AM:I wish this were hard to believe. I wish I didn't think that the gang running this administration will stoop to subterranean depths to ruin anyone who criticizes their criminal activities. I wish I didn't think it possible that the person sending the email deliberately revealed the whistleblowers' addresses. I wish this nightmare we have been living in since January 2001 were over.
Cinderella Ferret wrote on October 27, 2007 9:56 AM:Whoa. What genius is going to use a real government email address to rat out anyone? Yes the HJC screwed up, but anyone using an official government email address for ANYTHING they don't want to end up in the public domain is not thinking clearly. Email is not the way to communicate securely with anyone. EVER. How many times have you read about a supposed private email ending up in the public eye? Maybe the title of this article should be: They Never Learn, Do They?
SFC MAC: Reload. Reload. Reload. Here endeth the lesson.
audit the polls wrote on October 27, 2007 10:02 AM:what was the content of this 'blundered' email?
redherkey wrote on October 27, 2007 10:08 AM:How about we hold the Government criminally and civilly accountable to the same rules we they put over us? I just re-certified at work for the ability to work with IRS systems that are in our data centers. I can't even walk on the raised floor unless I'm certified annually. In the process, I admit that if I accidentally disclose taxpayer information through negligence, I will get to go to jail. Even taxpayer names and addresses will get someone - not just detailed financial information.
So how many years should this disclosing staffer have in jail due to their negligence?
Vice President Dick Cheney wrote on October 27, 2007 10:15 AM:Ha!
You think we would rely on some silly Democrat Hill staffer to screw up to get those addresses? ROFLMAO (oohooh..my heart my heart!)
...We had those eMail addresses, the ISP's and the identities of ALL those rat finks AGES ago...
Christ, whaddya think the PATRIOT ACT was all about, if not electronic surveillance of communications that might threaten those of us in the power structure.
Liberals are just soooooo STUPID!!!
Hold on...Lynn is calling...I have to take it...
moeman wrote on October 27, 2007 10:23 AM:Also on the list krove@spendingtimewithmyfamily.com
Orwell's Intuition wrote on October 27, 2007 10:27 AM:"capital L wrote on October 27, 2007 9:31 AM:
Wait a freaking second here people. If the Republicans had a "mole," why would they leak it this way? Common sense is in very short supply."
A mole is not a bad theory, if the underlying motive is to show the Dems can't be trusted with confidential information. Never mind the serious breaches of confidential information from the bush administration, the media focus will be on how Dems are incompetent. I think if we look back at the last few years, there is a record of quite egregious errors of this same sort by the Repubs.
For what it's worth, I agree with the PEBKAC explanation.
lysias wrote on October 27, 2007 10:28 AM:The administration may already have had the addresses, but now they have a cover story for how they got them.
DBH wrote on October 27, 2007 10:30 AM:I like that "technological error", the last bastion of the really incompetent. Lets see, I have in front of me all the email addresses of our tipsters...oooh, must be careful. Wouldn't want this list to get into the wrong hands...
I think if someone gets burned, the staffer who did this should suffer the same consequence. Sorry, they are hard working and smart, and just screwed up, but some things you just can't tolerate, like releasing the name of secret agents to the newspapers. Oh wait...
al75 wrote on October 27, 2007 10:40 AM:According to Ron Suskind in the 1% solution, a similar error burned the ENTIRE US human intelligence network in Iran, who were subsequently arrested with dire consequence to follow.
I've never seen this allegation followed up.
Landmine wrote on October 27, 2007 11:04 AM:Any serious tipster in government knows how to pass on a real tip. No one who has anything valuable to say is going to use their real name or real email. There are plenty of examples in the past on why you don't put your trust in anyone without taking the proper precautions.
As this website knows, 99% of all "tips" are just rumor, secondhand, and hearsay anyway. But like mining for gold, one must work through a lot of dirt to get the nuggets.
TheraP wrote on October 27, 2007 11:06 AM:Many thoughts here:
1. You mean they let whistleblowers' info languish for 4 months, while they gave bush enlarged intel powers in the meanwhile?
2. You mean intell people can't wait even seconds to get a FISA warrant, but emails with offers of confidential info sit for 4 months?
3. You mean they set up a tip-line and never bothered to monitor it? Never bothered to set up a confidential process in advance?
4. Is this like the 15 minutes of erased tape in the Nixon era? I can't wait for the demonstration of how physically this happened!
5. Publish this email address so millions of us can email them and say, yes, we too want to contribute!
6. At this point, I urge anyone whose email is on that list to insist that some prankster put it there! If cheney can say that, so can they!
7. After 6 it deteriorates to ranting!
oldtree wrote on October 27, 2007 11:14 AM:think there is a chance that it isn't a mistake? Do you think they might have wanted to out people that prove real people, not "government sources" have made these claims?
any chance that rather than retribution or idiocy, which I am not suggesting, could it be a way to also protect these people before they can be blackmailed by the secret information obtained by the government using their email, phone and personal records?
We have seen congress people become blackmail targets in these last several years. There is no doubt that otherwise rational and apparently thinking representatives of congress have done a 180 on their views, with no explanation, and no excuse.
Look beyond the mistake you believe happen and see if there are other potential reasons. You can only protect a whistleblower that has become public knowledge. As long as it is quiet, extortion can affect your witness. Not that it won't after disclosure, but....... If you want to consider how many witnesses have been turned when the prosecution thought they were well hidden?
If anyone doubts that wiretaps are being used against any and all political enemies, you won't understand what I am suggesting. If you don't believe that the people in charge would do this, you won't understand anything else I can write.
FMArouet wrote on October 27, 2007 11:15 AM:While one should never underestimate the human capacity for blundering, this episode has the scent of a simple "copy and paste" followed by "send" effort by a Republican staffer on Conyers' committee.
It is hard to believe that there really are any effective firewalls placed between the databases accessible by Democratic committee staffers and those accessible by Republican staffers.
While Democratic Congressional committee chairmen continue to issue stern letters and ignored subpoenas, Congressional Republicans, along with Cheney's office, seem to have just unsheathed a classic authoritarian, brownshirt response.
Cheney and the Congressional Republicans will now work relentlessly to expose and neutralize the whistleblowers, and thereby discourage new whistleblowers from emerging.
Those Bush Administration crimes that are not retroactively immunized, will now be allowed to continue unhindered by serious Congressional investigations.
Who is going to stop them? The Democratic leadership in Congress? Weak Harry Reid? Fancy Nancy Antoinette? Stone-deaf Steny Hoyer?
All the Democrats really have is Rep. Waxman. Perhaps his committee's sources will be the next Republican targets for neutering.
not dick cheney wrote on October 27, 2007 11:26 AM:I used to work at or near Judiciary, and I actually helped put this site together or know those who did. I am still in DC, so I don't want to be specific. It's an HTML interface, and very shoddy. I don't believe Conyers indicated that minority staff had access to these emails, but rather said that the ranking member (Lamar Smith) would eventually assign staff to it. These guys simply do not share information with each other. There is a strong sense of partisanship, and information is often shared as late as on the day of a committee hearing. I can virtually guarantee that the democrats had 100% control of this information and the republicans had 0%. Knowing Conyers's general attitude, if a republican had done this, we would know about it, and he's be calling for ethics investigations. The only reason we don't know more is that this happened in-house by Conyers's staff. This is exactly the kind of thing Conyers would want to blame as deliberate action by Republicans if he could. This guy is not afraid to assert a conspiracy theory.
It's obvious to me that this was an accident. These emails were copied to outlook, and a global email was sent out. It's an easy (but horrible) mistake to make. The democrats on this staff are really, really quite technologically inept. Why would you not read through these in months? This was a dog and pony show, to drum up the idea of whistle-blowers without evaluating if they were all cranks.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure there were a few legit whistle-blowers, and Conyers couldn't use them until closer to the election, so he handled this with his typical lack of seriousness.
If you are a whistle-blower, you need to identify people in your chain of command who can help you. If there is no such person, either go to the press or go to a Senator. The House is to volatile and petty, especially Conyers, to be trusted to handle anything correctly.
Hillary wrote on October 27, 2007 11:31 AM:One other point, there is a factual error in this story. The page for whistle blowing was put there by F James Sensenbrenner's staff in 2004. Conyers's staff just changed the names on the page to reflect the results of the 2006 elections. The search for whistle-blowers is not 4 months old, it is 3 years old.
The idea that Conyers took some kind of initiative here to root out waste fraud and abuse is incorrect.
nathalie wrote on October 27, 2007 11:43 AM:Hey, folks --
Compost happens.
It was an amusing anecdote, but could we please get back to worrying about how to survive the next 15 months?
anonymouse wrote on October 27, 2007 11:49 AM:"rmiller, those staffers have to be supervised. Everyone is supervised except for Bush - and even he is supervised by Cheney."
"And, of course no staffer should be unsupervised. So, a supervisor fell down on the job too, and should be looking for a new job tomorrow."
In the olden days we used to be able to fire the guys who didn't do their jobs... now we hire more supervisors... sad... and REALLY expensive...
Cloned Poster wrote on October 27, 2007 12:06 PM:The planted Cheney whistleblowers must be laughing their ass off. Intelligence by email!!!!! Footprints in the snow.
Cloned Poster wrote on October 27, 2007 12:15 PM:The planted Cheney whistleblowers must be laughing their ass off. Intelligence by email!!!!! Footprints in the snow.
stephen miller wrote on October 27, 2007 12:35 PM:What a disaster. Though I wonder if Cheney hadn't already gotten this information through nefarious means, this was delivering it gift-wrapped.
It's a mistake many people make, though rarely with such damaging results.
A tweak to the HJC email application could prevent multiple addresses from going in the "to:' field; and bump them to the "bcc:" field when more than several were entered.
Seems like it would be worth the investment.
Nixon's Plumbers, 2007 edition wrote on October 27, 2007 12:40 PM:From the grave, President Nixon thanks the stupid and inept majority [i.e., Democrat] staff of the House Judiciary Committee for stopping up all Executive Branch leaks far better than we could have ever imagined, let alone done!
Of course we would have submitted our own fake 'tips,' just to figure out what the Democrats were going to do with them.
But we never would have imagined that the Democrats would have shared everyone's e-mail addresses with us.
'Sounds as if the House Judiciary Committee Democrats have become infatuated with the 'Competence' of the Bush "43" Administration.
In the same way that Hillary voted for the Iraq War without ever bothering to spend, say, an hour or so reading the entire intelligence report.
Hel-lo!
House Injudicious Committee wrote on October 27, 2007 12:48 PM:Injudicious.
Now "in House."
darms wrote on October 27, 2007 12:49 PM:Any chance these dumb shits in the democratic party could hire a 16-year old to protect their goddamn security on these here "intertubes"? Seem like these mouth breathers also forgot their passwords back in 2002 allowing all their documents regarding upcoming judicial candidates to be leaked to the rethugs as well. Can't anybody on our side play this goddamned game?
John wrote on October 27, 2007 12:50 PM:This is a set-up. Now the Democrats will lay in wait and should anything whatsoever happen to a leaker (denied personal time, legitimate layoff, etc) they will immeditely start screaming "Cheney did it".
It's a nice change, though. "Bush did it" is getting passe.
mbbsdphil wrote on October 27, 2007 1:05 PM:Heads should roll. If an error, this is criminally negligent. If not, it is or should be criminal.
Imagine a similar scenario in a corporate environment. A Forune 100 company has a fraud hotline, hoping (or appearing) to encourage disclosure of waste, fraud & corruption - eg, price fixing, foreign or domestic bribery.
It gets a hundred calls a month, some of which are found worthy of more than cursory investigation, which files, with the right codes, can be collated with supposedly anonymous tips, leading to disclosure of the tipster.
Supervisors, vice presidents and boards of directors don't use a hotline. If they find out about inappropriate or illegal behavior on their team, they deal with it directly. Hotlines are almost always used to reveal concerns about the behavior of superiors or peers. Someone engaged in illegal conduct may not flinch at personal retribution to hide their crimes.
Imagine a computer glitch publishes the calls or e-mails made to the hotline over a six month period. Enough facts and circumstances for the grapevine to quickly the calls to real people, some at the top. What sort of investigation do you think would follow? With what consequences?
not dick wrote on October 27, 2007 1:11 PM:darms, that was the senate judiciary committee who screwed up the judicial filibuster list in 2002. That's where the House staff prays they will be able to work in five years, but only one or two ever will.
Stephen Miller, they use Outlook. The same version you get in Walmart. There really no reason for a security tweak. Why in the world would you use house email to communicate with these people? All house email is copied and saved for public record. Conyers's didn't care enough to send an actual letter. They have at least a few interns who could stuff envelopes. Hell, it would take a staffer all of an hour to do.
I'm kinda curious why you think Cheney would want this list. It's 99.9% goofballs. And Cheney, even if he were the evil genius that idiots pretend he is, certainly wouldn't go after these people now that there is a line linking them to him.
Pure and simple laziness in congress. And why shouldn't Conyers be this lazy? He fails to keep control on one of the very few important secrets he has, and who gets blamed? Republicans! These democrats have no reason to try to do their jobs well, since everything they screw up is the fault of a republican mole or republican hacker or Cheney already had the info anyway.
What a bunch of maroons!
Doppler wrote on October 27, 2007 1:13 PM:Darth Vader strikes again.
Congress owes us an immediate public airing of who sent that email, his or her background and allegiances, and testimony under oath cross-examining everything about this worm. The story that this is an error is not credible, and the anonymity of it underscores its lack of credibility.
The blowing of Plame's cover sent a chilling message through the intelligence community: attack the neocon agenda and you are fair game. This incident sends a bigger message to the DOJ: all of you who think the DOJ has been co-opted by the neocon agenda and are willing to report abuses are now fair game. Read Naomi Wolf's new book: The End of America. This is part of an accelerating fascist shift.
And Congress! Don't they even want to know? Before they even read the whistleblower stories, they offer everyone the chance to recall it, blowing their cover in the process. All these whistleblower's best efforts to save America got turned into the thought police instead of being used to clean house.
What other ingenious ways to develop lists of activist dissenters and intimidate them into silence are underway?
If Congress doesn't immediately draw and quarter this worm in public and under oath, it will be very clear that they too have been coopted by the neocons.
As to the whistleblowers, they need to stand tall. If they cave, it will just empower the would-be tyrants.
Doppler
ainr wrote on October 27, 2007 1:27 PM:Anyone who uses email (or the internet in general) and expects any privacy is wrongly mistaken.
Just because they were put out on this list doesn't mean those emails were not already known as whistleblowers....
Just like in any privacy situation, if you don't want it repeated, DO NOT COMMIT IT TO MEDIA of any type! (this include eletronic.)
Therefor, the next civil war will now take place in my head.
mbbsdphil wrote on October 27, 2007 1:38 PM:oops, it exploded, but the aye's won.
The notion that this is an "easy" or "obvious" error to make, doesn't cut it. This is not a user group exchanging book reviews or a blog discussing current politics. It is a hotline for those concerned about serious government misbehavior. Standard physical and virtual security protocols should have been of a high order.
Anyone who used that hotline for its declared purpose - a somewhat naive choice, given tracing technology and the well-earned reputation for vindictiveness of Rove and Cheney - has serious concerns, including a fear of retribution.
It is obvious that not even the naive will now use this sort of hotline anywhere in the government. That allows misconduct to flourish and committed employees to lose heart.
However it occured, this event pleases Dick Cheney no end - whistleblowers are his favorite game bird - which should cause those hunting with him in New York this weekend to be very afraid. The rest of us should be very mad, and do something about it.
Wesley wrote on October 27, 2007 1:49 PM:oops
TheraP wrote on October 27, 2007 1:52 PM:I agree with mbbsdphil @ 1:49
At issue is the public's trust!
REP wrote on October 27, 2007 1:56 PM:History will record that we now have a very specific public record of the people directly involved in the investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. All of the pranksters are supporters of the White House, and all of the whistleblowers have important information.
rmiller wrote on October 27, 2007 2:04 PM:The unofficial Congressional Staffer network has always been a conduit for information, and most of the staffers have buddies/significant others/friends with money working on the other side of the aisle. Ever tried to get breaking information to an elected official through a staffer---only to see the message crop up on the other side of the aisle?
Tracking down the perp on cases like this is often easy (doubtless Conyers already has the staffer's name) but then there's the cost/benefit analysis you have to go through before you fire them. That is, do you really want them to overtly go to the other side--knowing what they know? Probably not.
Additionally, the perpetrator may be a trusted staffer who was in over her head and just flat goofed.
Bottom line, expect an "investigation" announced. Just don't expect to see any report/result/conclusion.
It'll be a "computer error." You can count on it.
Dee Illuminati wrote on October 27, 2007 2:15 PM:Any request that an e-mail be withdrawn should state in the subject space "PLEASE WITHDRAW E-MAIL," and should include in the body of the request the e-mail address under which your e-mail was submitted, if different than the one used to make the request to withdraw. It should also specify the date and time, if known, or the approximate date and time, that the e-mail was submitted.
Now suppose i wrote an app that accessed all the "DOJ's email's directory services", with a for each loop, and then sent SMPT a request for all those emails address's to be removed, for a calendar year for each loop, would that result in a hard-drive scrub that would make all of this go away or just blow-up the inbound mail server?
This is one of those stories that makes you just go... "whom set this website up anyway? an intern?"
Couldn't this work be done by an independent contractor with "controls" in place from a project planning persepective to have had avoided this?
Jeeesch.....
LOL!! Sounds like a tip that somebody had some shemale videos at the DOJ...
Anonymous wrote on October 27, 2007 2:22 PM:Tell these Justice people to seek employment at the telecoms were there is a move to grasp any rationale to provide immunity.
As an associate often observed, if you want freedom and liberty: move to Iraq.
Anonymous wrote on October 27, 2007 2:33 PM:Maybe it's just me, but when I click the print button given for a news article I don't want 18 pages of comments with it. You just killed a tree.
Anthony wrote on October 27, 2007 2:55 PM:SO now Cheney could use revised FISA laws to get the names of all the whistleblowers.
Anthony wrote on October 27, 2007 2:56 PM:So now Cheney could use revised FISA laws to get the names of all the whistleblowers.
Rusty Austin wrote on October 27, 2007 2:56 PM:Obviously sabotage.
Eric wrote on October 27, 2007 3:12 PM:Even if whistle-blowers had used anonymous email, that will not protect their identity now. Thanks to warrantless wiretapping, the Administration can easily deduce the owner of any email address.
army193 wrote on October 27, 2007 4:00 PM:Eric wrote on October 27, 2007 3:12 PM:
Even if whistle-blowers had used anonymous email, that will not protect their identity now. Thanks to warrantless wiretapping, the Administration can easily deduce the owner of any email address.
Eric your right on.....
Ted Powell wrote on October 27, 2007 4:45 PM:"Maybe it's just me, but when I click the print button given for a news article I don't want 18 pages of comments with it. You just killed a tree."
CLUE: Most "Print" dialogs let you specify a range of page numbers. If you neglect to do that, you have assumed responsibility for the results.
CLUE: Most printers have a "Cancel Job" button or, failing that, a power switch or, failing that, an unpluggable power cord. If you neglect to take advantage of that, you have assumed responsibility for the results.
Why is there no Preview button on this form?
Anonymous wrote on October 27, 2007 5:16 PM:You are only seeing half of an equation. This seems to be a clear message and only a few of the people have keyed in on the essential point. Cheney's PUBLIC email is cc'd. That is not cut-and-past. See all the evidence equally, people. Cheney already knew this info and the best method of ending covert intel-gathering is to shine a light on it. Imagine that Cheney's friends in DOJ had the list (noting there are lots more than we have seen in the press) and were planning on acting on it somehow. The best action is to end the intel stream, as well as publicize (protect under whistleblower laws) the people who were about to be fired, demoted, transferred, etc. Best if those emails are thought to be protected and significant data transferred through them to DOJ, but also to Cheney. Cheney is, in fact, CC'd on all their communication already. That's the message, folks.
Contrary to other authors, I bet Cheney is not happy, he's very pissed. Another covert construct blows up just when the best info and silent action would come to pass. I feel sorry for the individuals on the list, but it may be nothing compared to what would happen to them and congressional investigations if they thought their conversations were protected.
John D wrote on October 27, 2007 6:48 PM:I don't understand the outrage. It's been obvious for some time that Democrats have no problem with leaking classified material when it suits their purpose. Why should I get upset, or even surprised, when Republicans do the same?
But there is nothing to suggest that this is anything but a normal screwup. The kind of thing that would never happen with a Democrat administration because they're smarter, more caring, and just better people than than the mouthbreathing retards that make up vast nunbers of people who are not members of the Democrat Party.
TheraP wrote on October 27, 2007 7:48 PM:If Anonymous @ 5:16 is pointing us in the right direction, then would all the emails have included all the tipsters, so that despite having their own personal cover blown, they might feel a sense of solidarity with their fellow whistleblowers? It may be that there's strength in that company. That despite cheney knowing about this and ready to make a move, the solidarity of so many people, ready to spill the beans, might make it easier for them to coordinate and gather strength. Not only that, if their identities become public, then many of us can extend strength to them as well. They are heroes and patriots and deserve our immense gratitude.
Whistleblowers, stand up! Your country needs you.
Citizens, stand up for whistleblowers! They need our support.
TheraP wrote on October 27, 2007 7:52 PM:If Anonymous @ 5:16 is pointing us in the right direction, then would all the emails have included all the tipsters, so that despite having their own personal cover blown, they might feel a sense of solidarity with their fellow whistleblowers? It may be that there's strength in that company. That despite cheney knowing about this and ready to make a move, the solidarity of so many people, ready to spill the beans, might make it easier for them to coordinate and gather strength. Not only that, if their identities become public, then many of us can extend strength to them as well. They are heroes and patriots and deserve our immense gratitude.
Whistleblowers, stand up! Your country needs you.
Citizens, stand up for whistleblowers! They need our support.
R Simpson wrote on October 27, 2007 9:55 PM:This mistake is good old fashion stupidity, which is incurable, and not limited to just one side, either. Conspiracy, huh? If it is then this is a vast stupidity conspiracy. Remove all the rewards of Congress except duty, and maybe the stupids will wither and die. But make no mistake, the majority of pols in DC are stupid beyond hope or help.
Troll Patrol wrote on October 27, 2007 10:16 PM:You never know when you'll find wolves in sheeps' clothing. Beware.
Dingadingdang wrote on October 27, 2007 11:18 PM:if it weren't for the corrupt bush administration and its punitive measures against those fighting the corruption, there would be no need for extreme measures to protect whistleblowers.
Nonsense. Whistleblowing is always dangerous. Don't let hatred of Bush make you say stupid stuff.
Notice how many people on this thread have posted the same message 2 or 3 times, and then tell me that it's impossible that this was just a dumbassed mistake, so the Lord High Inquisitor must be behind it.
Again, slowly: while malevolence abounds, stupidity is in even greater supply, so statistically, when either stupidity or evil might be to blame, stupidity is a better bet. Stupidity is the really non-partisan issue.
Everyone wants it both ways- the government is all-powerful and evil, and it is benevolent and incompetent. And any linear combination thereof. There are some dumb, lazy people in congress, both elected and staff.
Hiring your sister's housekeeper's boy or girl to pay off a political or personal favor cuts across party lines, and while there are some super-D-duper intelligent motivated people working in the govt, puh-leez don't try to convince me that the average is any higher than the rest of the country.
Excuse Moi wrote on October 28, 2007 12:17 AM:The ranking Republican member has access to the emails. Therefore they're already in Cheney's hands. What's the issue here, exactly?
Ty Clevenger wrote on October 28, 2007 12:27 AM:The more people who go public, the harder it gets to retaliate.
anonymous of course wrote on October 28, 2007 4:48 AM:"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice".
I believe the people responsible should be imprisoned - they have proven themselves a danger to other people.
If you don't know how to operate a plane properly you should not be flying one when hundreds of other lives depend on you doing things right.
To pretend to be capable of such things and be paid for doing so = fraud, reckless endangerment and all that.
MrX wrote on October 28, 2007 8:32 AM:I believe the message was sent intentionally, this was no blunder. And I will continue to believe that until the person who pressed Send is identified and vouched for by several reputable Democrats.
Purpose: reveal the addresses, cause anxiety amongst recipients, provide fodder for right-wingnuts, etc.
That vice_president@whitehouse.gov was not in recipients, but rather cc says to tipsters, "This is a friendly reminder of the HJC's incompetence. By the way, if you didn't suspect that Cheney already knows who you are, you must be really stupid."
James Hardine wrote on October 28, 2007 8:35 AM:These people should have used Wikileaks.
The Justice disclosure is not accidental. It is a result of bad policy -- a caviler approach to protecting sources that didn't bother to hire security experts. Well, no surprise there, since the aim was not to protect sources but to get dirt on opponents and friends.
In house whistleblowing should never be trusted since their goals are dubious and their resources small.
Generally even well meaning groups are way behind the technology. Even the best investigative journalists now can not be trusted due to pervasive record keepings from telcos and internet services.
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Category:Lessons_learned
Maddie In Florida wrote on October 28, 2007 9:24 AM:They did it on purpose. It is a warning to any whistle blower letting them know "we'll get you" one way or another.
The email is harrassment/threat to employees to keep quiet. What's new?
anonymouse wrote on October 28, 2007 11:25 AM:"R Simpson wrote on October 27, 2007 9:55 PM:
This mistake is good old fashion stupidity... the majority of pols in DC are stupid beyond hope or help."
Yes, and "We the People" continue to vote the same clowns back into office, over and over again, which says multitudes about our own intelligence...
Evan Cowart wrote on October 28, 2007 12:02 PM:I find the idea of dims looking for political manipulation in any dept to be absolutely hilarious, they are the original seller of political favors and corruption, can you say Janet baby.
Evan
REP wrote on October 28, 2007 12:45 PM:This is very good publicity for the investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. It has been out of the news since last June.
Lee wrote on October 28, 2007 12:46 PM:Now I will find out what the political appointees did in the Justice Department.
I don't know what the hell happened but Paul you shouldn't accept the premise that this was inadvertent or a mistake. This was clearly intentional.
Arliss wrote on October 28, 2007 2:38 PM:Morons!
See this is what happens when our government is run by a bunch of C Grade(or 2.0 GPA) students.
We need some A Grade(4.0 GPA) people to clean up this whole mess!
Michael McCracken wrote on October 28, 2007 2:54 PM:ALL OF THE NAMES ON THE LIST ARE WHISTLE BLOWERS!!!!!!!!!~!!!!
This is very strange. I got the emails, my name is on the list - I've never blown any whistles on anyone. Never worked for any Gov angency or anything like that.
Several months ago I did write to Conyers to complain about how he and his committee was not doing enough, fast enough, and urged them to get off their asses and get to the bottom of the scandals - and get some people in jail.
That is the only communication that I've ever had with them and that's the only way they could have gotten my email address.
So, if you write Conyers to complain, your name ends up on a whistleblower list??? Weird stuff.
Michael
What Likely Happenned wrote on October 28, 2007 3:27 PM:I think you're all reading the VP's email thing wrong. The VP's email probably appeared because it was purposefully included as a 'copy' on the email to show that they were keeping the White House in the loop. They were not responding to the WH as a potential whistleblower. Unfortunately, that was included in the list w/ all of the whistleblowers.
Anonymous wrote on October 28, 2007 3:54 PM:1. Separation of Powers Turned On Its Head
Congress has the power of legislative immunity, and to block the President from reviewing its papers. This is separation of powers. It's a meaningless power when Congress is not willing to fully defend the witnesses against disclosure.
2. Incompetence Warrants Oversight of Congress
This action shows the Congress is reckless in conducting oversight; this bungling appears likely to inspire greater calls for more competent leadership and evidence collection. Untested and potentially unprotected evidence-collection-methods demand a solution: Time for the leadership to accept, "They are not competent to conduct electronic discovery, evidence collection, or legislative oversight." The problems with technology are an excuse. Backup systems need to be used. Congress fails when it blames technology, and bungles its legislative mandate.
3. Another Excuse To Not Make Progress On War Crimes: Which War Crimes Witnesses Are Dissuaded From Cooperating With Inquiry?
Karma. Fair warning: While Congress will not conduct oversight for war crimes issues, it is willing to compromise the identities of those who have evidence of alleged Geneva violations. The disclosure appears to expose key witnesses to unlawful retaliation and harassment.
4. Removing Teeth Behind Mandated Change
How's that "subpoena power" now that the DNC "got into power"? LOL Irresponsible people. Doesn't matter what excuse they have: They have potentially compromised the identities of those who were most aware of reportable information. The apparent betrayal will have a chilling effect on public's inclination to cooperate with Congressional inquiries.
Congress has the subpoena power, and won't fully enforce it; what better way to "end the evidence collection needed to impeach" than to disclose the identities of those who might have evidence warranting impeachment. Congress and the President are two heads of the same tyrannical hydra.
Anonymous wrote on October 28, 2007 3:56 PM:Of course the NSA has a copy of the e-mail: They only need to search for one of the e-mails, and every name on the list can be put on the NSA watch list: IP addresses, identifying information, then forward that to a private contractor like Wackenhut for resolution. Vice Foster problems? That's a real risk. These NSA-types are allegedly involved in war crimes: Their goal is to prevent witnesses anywhere from cooperating with war crimes investigations. This is no joking matter: The lives of people have been put at risk.
Sully18 wrote on October 28, 2007 5:46 PM:"Congressional staffers typically are young, aggressive workaholics. There is nothing in the job description that requires them to be moral, ethical or even smart."--rmiller
Why is it that we accept workaholism as an acceptable addiction? It involves all the same negative aspects of crack addiction and is most likely responsible for much of the white collar crime that bilks billions of dollars from Americans every year.Yet we describe these guys as young"go-getters,"and they rarely do jail time even though:"There is nothing in the job description that requires them to be moral, ethical or even smart."Possession of crack cocaine is a felony depending upon how much,and addicts spend considerable time in jail.
Jono1412 wrote on October 28, 2007 6:00 PM:I guess I`ve answered my own question.
Does anyone think it`s funny that the only Workaholics Anonymous meeting in Houston meets ( or used to meet)at 6:30 on a Sunday morning?
BTW Cheney and the rest of neocons are definitely workaholics.
I agree w Oldtree... This actually protects the whistle blowers. It serves notice to the admin that if they remove these people they face criminal prosecution for retaliation against whistleblowers. By outing them first "by accident" they both open the story to public disclosure and protect individuials who may have something to say.
The inclusion of The Vice in the email list ensures that his office gets it as he is Mr. Retribution incarnate. He is now on notice.
My 2 cents... after an initial dismayed reaction...although why I should hope for intelligence from the leadership is beyond me--except that Conyers is generally the best of them-- so I hope to see his efforts bear fruit-as in peaches- as in-- im-peach-ment type fruit.
parrot wrote on October 28, 2007 11:37 PM:Our Congress...asleep at the helm and ruining the lives of conscientious civil servants everywhere.
Since Dick Cheney has the email addresses, can we see them too? I mean, I'm just asking...you know, because if you've already told the folks that hate whistleblowers...you might as well tell those of us who actually apprecaite and support whistleblowers.
Thanx Congress.
Rubin wrote on October 29, 2007 12:56 AM:Let's elect Al Gore and whoever he wants for Vice President.
After all he won once already, A Proven Winner and I think the Public would welcome Al Gore for his good American ethics alone.
Even some Republicans I know would Vote for him, they are sick of the corruption in their Party.
The Last thing we need is another ethically challenged Administration... [think Clinton]
We can win big with Al Gore for President!
GOP Still Better Than DNC wrote on October 29, 2007 2:14 AM:.
Typical government employees. And how many of you really want these people managing Social Security and/or universal healthcare?
And before you continue castigating our Veep for being "Mr. Retribution incarnate", let's recall how Clinton/Gore used the IRS, State Police, et al. to squelch those who criticized them.
doit wrote on October 29, 2007 8:11 AM:OMFG, that is classic. I am shocked, that in this day and age, that there are still people out there who do not know how to use "the magic computing box". Email HAS to be one of the most basic skills next to pointing and clicking. I would expect something like this 15 years ago, but not today. That person should be fired, then barred from computers until they pass a "basic computing skillz" course.
oldfart namvet wrote on October 29, 2007 11:09 AM:This was no accident.
Anonymous wrote on October 29, 2007 11:28 AM:Cheney's staff emailed the contact then paid off a staffer in judicary to "screw-up"
Can't beleive that there are people out there blaming Bush for this Dems mess up.. Please wise up.. We don't need stupid brainwashed voters in this country.
Anonymous wrote on October 29, 2007 12:11 PM:Is it at all possible that a supposed "whistleblower" used the VP's address as their own on the submission form, thus getting it on the CC field? That seems to me far more likely than a very obvious (and public) VP address being included on the list for nefarious reasons.
Also, the e-mail doesn't read like a threat to me at all. It's a pretty straightforward explanation of how much confidentiality (or lack thereof) the whistleblowers can expect. It's hardly jackboot tactics.
And this all comes from a self-identified liberal.
J wrote on October 29, 2007 12:12 PM:Ok people, lets use some common sense. Oldtree said it right, these people are protected, so lets not worry about them, the moment any of them feel under pressure, all they have to do is cry Cheney.
But come on, if Cheney or whoever is the Devil incarnate at this point in time wants information on literally any American, they can get it. Its called the Patriot Act. I do think the email was sent with a porpose, but what that pupose was no body knows. What has happened though is that if there was anyone who was easily fooled into using their real email address and info, they are safe from anything big bad Cheney can do. Whatever big evil plan was attempting to unfold, its ruined now.
Retired Yahoo wrote on October 29, 2007 12:14 PM:A lesson that comes too late for these whistleblowers is to never, never say anything in email you wouldn't say on the phone. A corollary is to discourage email communications from folks you wouldn't want others to know you're talking to.
the exile wrote on October 29, 2007 12:51 PM:mistake my ass
just reading the news wrote on October 29, 2007 2:19 PM:Josh Marshall wrote on October 26, 2007 11:58 PM:
As to the question of how the VP's email address got on there, our working assumption was that someone sent in a joke/rant email through the tipline and used cheney's email as the from address. Basically a prank.
Steve wrote on October 29, 2007 9:11 PM:Why would it seem that way? That seems a little random. Plus, you wrote "our working assumption". There are more than one of you?
Does this seem a little weird to anyone else?
RE:Orwell's Intuition wrote on October 26, 2007 11:56 PM:
"I agree this is a major blunder, but all of those piling on the "inept Dems" and Conyers specifically, please remember that if it weren't for the corrupt bush administration and its punitive measures against those fighting the corruption, there would be no need for extreme measures to protect whistleblowers."
Orwell, the problem is not dems or reps, it is the fact that government in general and government employees specifically are inept. If my employee were this careless and uncaring, I would immediately fire him/her. But rest assured whoever did this will get a pension and lifetime healthcare benefits.
ANOTHER REASON FOR TERM LIMITS, LIMITS MINIMIZE THAT INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION THAT THE INCUMBENT IS SIMPLY ON CRUISE CONTROL.
The only good government is a minimal government. The rest simply employs those who cant function in the economy.
ServantOfMankind wrote on October 30, 2007 9:35 AM:This is one of two things.
1.) An attempt to expose the whistleblowers
2.) An attempt to bring unwarranted attention to Cheney, who is mentioned in the CC To list.
I would caution reacting quickly, as the intent of these mistakes might be to cause controversy. It is possible this trully was a legitimate mistake. Lets review all the facts and inquire before passing judgement. I would want people to give me the benefit of the doubt if I were in this position wouldn't you?
SoM
Hillary wrote on November 1, 2007 10:45 AM:Let us run the nations healthcare, and we promise not to make any screw-ups.
Darlene Fitzgerald wrote on November 1, 2007 2:03 PM:I find this very disturbing considering we are hoping that the House Judiciary Committee will at least look at cases like ours where the government is actually crossing way over the line, and abusing the criminal justice system to SILENCE WHISTLEBLOWERS! Wrongfully jailed Whistleblowers like John Carman, and others, have no prayer for justice with INJUSTICE like this. Where is the “main stream” media in all of this??? They use to be the ultimate check and balance for our Government. Now, sadly, they are not. Our only hope is for organizations like the Government Accountability Project (GAP), The Project on Government Oversite (POGO), the No Fear Coalition and The Patrick Henry Center - all Whistleblower protection / government watchdog organizations, to become as strong as the government entities that they are watching. Currently the Whistleblower Protection Act (also known as the Akaka Bill, after Senator Akaka) sits idle at the Senate. Further, the No Fear Act two (2), additional much needed Whistleblower legislation, is currently waging it’s war to get passed Congress. This is now more reason than every exactly why this legislation MUST BE PASSED! If this was in place now, there would be no need to hide in the shadows in order to speak truth to power. What we all need to do is to help these brave organizations get these bills passed, and subsequent future legislation to stop this kind of obvious retaliation and attempts to silence the very folks we need to be SUPPORTING! Alone we accomplish nothing. We need to LOCK ARMS with these organizations and speak with one loud clear voice - in the words of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Darlene Fitzgerald
eregilkibly wrote on December 1, 2007 9:28 PM:National Security Whistleblower &
Author: "BorderGate, the story the government doesn't want you to read."
www.BorderGate.net
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James wrote on January 18, 2008 4:59 AM:Josh,
Longtime fan.
As I scrolled today I had a scary flashFORWARD when I saw the pic of Sam in the waves:
Someday I'm probably gonna be sitting here telling some poor kid:
"Hell, I remember when President Marshall was born!"