These Republicans just can't stop themselves. Every time they go on the air they've got to up the crazy one more notch with this fear mongering fist pounding to prove they're tough on those "turists". I really wish they'd just go find some police state to live in if that's what's going to make them happy instead of trying to turn the United States into more of one than it is already.
After carping on about how the Obama administration hasn't shared enough information with the Intelligence Committees to suit him, Sen. Kit Bond throws this zinger out there.
BLITZER: But Eric Holder says this guy..
BOND: -- the..
BLITZER: -- is talking.
BOND: That -- they're fortunate, because most -- most suspects, when you tell them that, will stop talking. OK, he's lucky.
Well, why won't he share what he's saying with us?
That is, I think, anybody in the intelligence community will tell you, when you get a suspect who knows how the terror ring operates, if he's part of a ring, you want to get from him what he knows and not give him the Miranda warning, which is only necessary, even for American citizens, if you want to use their words against them in a trial.
And both of these fellows, on Christmas Day and New York in Times Square, have enough evidence that you could convict them. You don't need to Mirandize them. You don't need to give them that warning and potentially shut them up and certainly give them a lawyer who will tell them to be quiet.
So just how long does Sen. Bond think the Justice Department should be able to hold an American citizen without ever giving them an attorney? Oh never mind. I think we all know the answer to that. It seems like Republicans would like to shred all of our Constitution except for the parts they can make campaign issues of.
And as for Bond's carping about the Senate Intelligence Committee not being briefed on the investigation yet, how dare that horrible Obama administration politicize an ongoing investigation... by not letting Republicans interfere with it before they're done investigating and politicize it? Those bastards!
I can't imagine why the White House might be worried about Republicans leaking national security information for political reasons.
Transcript below the fold via CNN.
BLITZER: Let's get back to one of our top stories. A senior U.S. official now says there are new leads that show that the Times Square bomb suspect, Faisal Shahzad, did likely get training in Pakistan. U.S. investigators there have questioned men suspected of ties to a Pakistani militant group, and they're continuing to connect the dots here in the United States.
The attorney general, Eric Holder, says the suspect is still cooperating.
Let's talk about this with Republican Senator Kit Bond of Missouri.
He's the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Senator Bond, thanks very much for coming in.
SEN. KIT BOND (R), MISSOURI: Always a pleasure, Wolf.
Good to talk with you.
BLITZER: How big of a deal is this Faisal Shahzad, based on the briefings that you've had with top law enforcement, intelligence officials in the administration?
BOND: Regrettably, we have had almost no information from the intelligence community. I had a brief 10 minute conversation on Tuesday. We have tried to follow up and ask questions about what you in the media are saying. And we have been told by the intelligence community the Department of Justice has ordered them not to share information with the Intelligence Committee.
Unbelievable. Unheard of.
BLITZER: But usually, they -- they don't share with the whole Committee the most -- some of the more sensitive information, but they would share in a classified briefing in a secure room. They would share information with the chairman, Dianne Feinstein, and the ranking member, the vice chairman, that would be you.
Is that right?
BOND: Well, normally, they say -- they will brief the entire Committee. The -- and we..
BLITZER: But sometimes, if it's really..
BOND: -- Chairman Feinstein..
BLITZER: -- sensitive, they only tell the chairman and the vice chairman.
BOND: The -- the sensitive things, which are limited to the gang of four or gang of eight briefing, do not have -- do not deal with things like this. The -- these are very special programs that are limited in access. This is not a special program. This is an investigation of a -- an attempted terrorist attack. And that kind of information has always been made available to the full committee and the cleared staff. And we've been told today -- I -- I've tried to ask Intelligence Committee leaders about it, and we -- we've not gotten any answers. Our staff has told -- is told you -- you cannot -- we've been told by the Department of Justice you can't share it with the Intelligence Committee.
That is, I think, unacceptable. It's politicizing the entire process and very regrettable that the Department of Justice has taken that view. They have done many bad things in intelligence. This one is, I think -- violates all responsibility that they have to share information with Congress.
BLITZER: Well, it -- it raises the suspicion in my mind that maybe there are other suspects who are at large, other parts of this conspiracy, if there is a conspiracy, that are still unfolding. For operational reasons, they want to keep this information as -- as limited as possible so as maybe they can apprehend others and get more information.
BOND: To my knowledge, no information shared with the Intelligence Committee has been leaked. The leaks have come from the executive branch. The somebody -- you were talking to some high official who's talked about what you just told us -- something that you learned about -- that's going on in Pakistan. That has not been told to us. But they -- but somebody from the executive branch apparently has felt free to share it with the news media.
BLITZER: So, obviously, you're upset about this.
As far as you know..
BOND: Indeed.
BLITZER: -- has Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Committee, has -- has she gotten -- been restricted in what she's getting, as well?
BOND: I haven't talked to her recently. She said she got a -- a classified briefing on Sunday. I have not gotten any classified briefing. And it was a representative of the Committee today that asked for information and was told the Committee was not to be briefed.
BLITZER: Well, based on what you know, which obviously is limited, from what -- from what I'm hearing, you can't tell me if he was part of the Pakistani Taliban, per se?
BOND: That is correct. I have read about it and I have heard about it but I have not been able to identify the intelligence sources who will tell me what the basis of their judgment is, how -- how reliable it is and whether it's something we can act on.
BLITZER: All right. For -- forget about the fact that you're not being briefed. I assume you will be at some point. Forget about that. But in general, how do you think the Obama administration is doing as far as this Times Square bomb suspect, the whole case is concerned?
BOND: Number one, for the second time, we were lucky. Both of the -- both Abdulmutallab and Faisal Shahzad..
BLITZER: Abdulmutallab being the Christmas Day..
BOND: The Christmas Day bomber..
BLITZER: -- underwear bomber.
BOND: -- had -- had bombs on them. They were incompetent and didn't set them off. And both times, concerned citizens moved in, in the first case to throw blankets on him on the airplane; in the second case, to identify the smoke coming out of the vehicle. The law enforcement efforts were very good. They -- they tracked down Shahzad. And the -- one of the biggest mistakes that the Department of Justice, which is now running intelligence, has made in both cases, they Mirandized him. They told him -- they told both of them they didn't have to talk and they were -- they were entitled to a lawyer..
BLITZER: But Eric Holder says this guy..
BOND: -- the..
BLITZER: -- is talking.
BOND: That -- they're fortunate, because most -- most suspects, when you tell them that, will stop talking. OK, he's lucky.
Well, why won't he share what he's saying with us?
That is, I think, anybody in the intelligence community will tell you, when you get a suspect who knows how the terror ring operates, if he's part of a ring, you want to get from him what he knows and not give him the Miranda warning, which is only necessary, even for American citizens, if you want to use their words against them in a trial.
And both of these fellows, on Christmas Day and New York in Times Square, have enough evidence that you could convict them. You don't need to Mirandize them. You don't need to give them that warning and potentially shut them up and certainly give them a lawyer who will tell them to be quiet.
BLITZER: Kit Bond is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Senator Bond, thanks very much for coming in.
BOND: Wolf, thank you.
