State Secrets

The GOP and Presidential Power

Robert J. Spitzer | Posted 03.04.2012

As we begin the countdown to the November elections, let's appreciate how much American governance has become a debate over presidential power -- from health care, to the economy, to foreign policy.

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A Family Affair: Who’s Left Behind After the FBI’s Fake Terror Stings (PHOTOS)

ColorLines | Lyric Cabral | Posted 11.11.2011

Read More: FBI Informant, Terrorist Plots, FBI Terror Stings, State Secrets, Obama State Secrets, 9/11, Fbi Terrorism Investigations, Racial Profiling in Terrorism, September 11 Anniversary, Racial Profiling, Terror Prosecutions, Black Voices News

This piece originally appeared at ColorLines. Ten years after September 11, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has prioritized protecting Am...

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How Do We Justify Indicting Roger Clemens For Lying But Not Indicting Those Persons Who Authorized and Directed Torture?

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 10.17.2011

Read More: Donald Vance, Torture, Roger Clemens, National Security, State Secrets, Civil Suits for Torture, Nathan Ertel, Immunity, u.s. Torture, Bush Administration Torture, Obama Torture Prosecutions, Rumsfeld Torture, Politics News

Isn't it ironic that Roger Clemons is indicted for lying to Congress about steroid use, while those who authorized and directed the use of torture remain uncharged and unpunished?

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President Obama and Government Secrecy

Geoffrey R. Stone | Posted 08.27.2011

Read More: Transparency, Secrecy, Journalist Privilege, Whistleblowers, Obama Transparency, State Secrets, Politics News

As a longtime supporter and colleague of Barack Obama at the University of Chicago, as well as an informal adviser to his 2008 campaign, I had high ho...

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Freedom of the Press vs. State Secrets

Reese Schonfeld | Posted 08.15.2011

Does the press have the right to disclose some secrets? I believe that too many documents are designated "top-secret" when they really should be designated "embarrassing."

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McCain Dethrones the Rule of Law

Bruce Fein | Posted 07.31.2011

Read More: Supreme Court, Law, Alexander Hamilton, Congress, President Obama, Federal Reserve, James Madison, UN Security Council, U.S. Constitution, Pentagon Budget, Common Sense, Robert Jackson, Libya, UN Convention Against Torture, Enemy Combatants, John Bassett Moore, Constitution, Predator Drones, War Powers Resolution, Pentagon, John McCain, Thomas Paine, Libya War, State Secrets, Thomas Jefferson, James Wilson, Democrats, U.S. Supreme Court, Military Commissions, Patriot Act, Department of Treasury, U.S. Senate, War Powers Act, Fisa, Republicans, Politics News

John McCain's latest war gospel hangs an alarming tale. The rule of law has been dethroned and the president has been endowed with absolute power as the American Empire has eclipsed the American Republic.

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Will Rendition Always Remain a State Secret?

Emily Berman | Posted 07.27.2011

Read More: Transparency, Supreme Court, Obama Administration, Government Oversight, Doj, Eric Holder Attorney General, Obama Transparency, Rendition, State Secrets, Politics News

On President Obama's first day in office, he stated unequivocally that his administration was "committed to operating with an unprecedented level of openness in government." It is time for the president to live up to his promise.

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Obama Opens the Oval Office to Good Government Groups

Project On Government Oversight | Posted 05.29.2011

Read More: Good Government, Foia, Whistleblowers, Whistleblower Protection, Open Government, President Barack Obama, Obama State Secrets, State Secrets, Obama, Barack Obama, Thomas Drake, Politics News

When we met with him yesterday, President Obama did something remarkable: He said the issue of transparency in government is incredibly difficult, and he asked us to work with his office to improve the status quo.

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Suburban Man Charged With Selling Military Secrets To China

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: State Secrets to China, Sixing Liu, Illinois, Selling State Secrets, Steve Liu, Chicago, State Secrets, Chicago News

A Chinese-born immigrant living in the Chicago suburbs has been accused of selling state secrets to China on a recent business trip. Sixing Liu, wh...

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Supreme Court To Consider Controversial 'State Secrets' Doctrine

Wall Street Journal | JESS BRAVIN | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Supreme Court State Secrets, Supreme Court, National Security, State Secrets Doctrine, Obama State Secrets, State Secrets, Politics News

For the first time in nearly 60 years, the Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider the limits of "state secrets," a legal doctrine the government often...

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WikiLeaks and the Cult of Secrets

Daniel Denvir | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Conspiracy Theories, Julian Assange, Wikileaks, State Secrets, New Yorker, Christian Science Monitor, George Packer, Glenn Greenwald, Erza Klein, Politics News

Julian Assange thought exposing secrets would bring the whole rotten edifice down. But when it comes to the American people, the most sinister lies actually hide in plain sight.

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Slouching Towards Tyranny

Bruce Fein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: American Revolution, Law, Civil Liberties, Philosophy, Cia, Homeland Security Committee, Material Assistance, President Obama, Fbi, Founding Fathers, War Crimes, Kidnapping, National Security, President Bush, Imperialism, Constitution, Predator Drones, Peter King, US Constitution, Afghanistan, Terrorism, Homeland Security, Pakistan, State Secrets, United States, Empire, Military Commissions, Patriot Act, Bagram, Counterterrorism, Edward Gibbon, Extraordinary Rendition, Torture, Hessians, Politics News

The state of civil liberties and national security in the United States is alarming. In the American Empire, the former are routinely crippled or lacerated in the false name of the latter.

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Obama Invokes 'State Secrets' Claim To Dismiss Lawsuit Against Targeting Of U.S. Citizen

AP | PETE YOST | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Al Qaida, Anwar Al-Aulaqi, State Secrets, Assassination, Barack Obama, War on Terror, Politics News

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Saturday invoked the state secrets privilege which would kill a lawsuit on behalf of U.S.-born cleric A...

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Keeping Torture a Secret

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: New York Mosque, State Secrets, Rendition Claims, Torture Litigation, Pastor Jones, Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan, Torture Claims, National Security Privilege, Quran Burning, Politics News

The idea that the horror innocent persons have suffered should go unpunished on the basis that some information "may" be revealed that the government wishes to keep secret is a travesty.

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White House Expands On Executive Powers Once Criticized By Obama, No Doubt To The Delight Of The Base

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: State Secrets Privilege, State Secrets, Obama State Secrets, George W. Bush, Unitary Executive, Barack Obama, Eat the Press, Politics News

As you may have heard, in these last eight weeks of the campaign season, the Democrats are going to be ramping up efforts to remind voters of how bad ...

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Court Ruling Highlights Need for New State Secrets Law

Daphne Eviatar | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Aclu, Warrantless Wiretapping, Jeppesen Dataplan, Judge Vaughn Walker, State Secrets, Obama Doj, Justice Department, Barack Obama, Al-Haramain-Islamic-Foundation, Cia, State Secrets Privilege, National Security, Law and Security, National Security Agency, Torture, Extraordinary Rendition, Politics News

On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that the NSA's warrantless wiretapping of an Islamic charity and its lawyers during the Bush administration had violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

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Kagan's Troubling Record

Marjorie Cohn | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Supreme Court, Equal Protection, Thurgood Marshall, Barack Obama, Elena Kagan, State Secrets, Same-Sex Marriage, Politics News

Unfortunately, history does not support Obama's optimism that Elena Kagan is a disciple of Thurgood Marshall.

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Obama's State Secrets Position: Selling Out Or Clever Ploy?

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Michael Scherer, Obama 100 Days Press Conference, State Secrets, George W. Bush, Obama 100 Days, Barack Obama, Eat the Press, Politics News

Plenty of readers disagreed with the conclusion I drew in my last column, so I figured, Why not air a reasoned countering opinion? Here goes.

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Obama To Set Higher Bar For Keeping State Secrets

washingtonpost.com | Carrie Johnson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Warrantless Wiretapping, State Secrets Privilege, National Security, State Secrets, Obama State Secrets, Department of Justice, Holder Bush State Secrets, Obama National Security, Justice Department, Eric Holder, Rendition, Bush State Secrets, Politics News

The Obama administration will announce a new policy Wednesday making it much more difficult for the government to claim that it is protecting state se...

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FBI Whistleblower: Hastert, Burton, Blunt, Other Members of Congress 'Bribed, Blackmailed'

Brad Friedman | Posted 05.25.2011

The broad criminal conspiracy is said to have resulted in, among other things, the sale of nuclear weapons technology to black market interests including Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and others.

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Formerly-'Gagged' FBI Whistleblower Details Congressional Blackmail, Bribery, Espionage, Corruption in Remarkable Videotaped Deposition

Brad Friedman | Posted 05.25.2011

Just over two weeks ago, FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was finally allowed to speak about much of what the Bush Administration spent years trying to keep her from discussing publicly.

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Obama Admin Files Supreme Court Brief Defending State Secrets Privilege

New York Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: State Secrets, Supreme Court, Obama Administration, State Secrets Privilege, Barack Obama, Politics News

A Supreme Court filing from the Obama administration last month has set off alarm bells on the left. ...

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Seymour Hersh Stands By Reporting On Cheney Assassination Squad

The Daily Beast | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cia, Seymour Hersh, Cheney Assassination Squad, State Secrets, Dick Cheney, CIA Torture, Torture, Politics News

The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh was mocked in March when he referred to Dick Cheney's secret squad of CIA assassins. Now, he talks to the Daily Beast a...

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Liz Cheney Refuses To Discuss Dick's Role In CIA: 'He Eoesn't Talk About Classified Programs."

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cia, State Secrets, Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney, Cheney Family, Dick Cheney Cia, Classified Programs, Politics News

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Liz said Tuesday she doesn't believe her father did anything wrong in connection with a secre...

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State Secrets Showdown: Judge Threatens To Penalize US In Wiretap Case

Washington Post | Carrie Johnson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Administration States Secrets, State Secrets Courts, Barack Obama, President Obama, State Secrets, Obama Administration, Politics News

President Obama vowed last week to rein in the use of a legal privilege that allows the administration to discard lawsuits that involve "state secrets...

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