Flight 253

Flight 253 Fallout: Obama, Congress To Probe National Security Intelligence

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 5:22PM

President Obama meets with Denis McDonough from his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii. Official White House photo.

Expect Congressional hearings exploring what happened in the weeks before the attempted terror attack on Flight 253 in the new year.

President Obama returns to Washington next week and plans a private huddle with intelligence officials and his national security team to evaluate the findings of a probe into the communication breakdown that allowed a Nigerian man to board a plane with explosives in his underwear.

Already the administration has put in place new measures and homeland security officials are coordinating with international airports.

Congress will be back mid-January and if the political chatter this week is any indication, Flight 253 will dominate their return.

In the week since the incident, there have been statements from Obama and other top White House officials, a preliminary review and a host of political fundraising attempts and accusations coming from GOP members of Congress and former President Dick Cheney.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kit Bond announced Jan. 21 hearings of their Senate Select Committee on Intelligence but will start the investigation sooner by collecting "all intelligence related to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab held by various intelligence agencies in order to determine who had what, and how the information was handled."

The panel also will review national security policies on sharing information and terrorist watchlisting, they said. The House intelligence panel also is looking into the incident.

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Flight 253

Napolitano Sending DHS Officials Overseas To Coordinate With International Airports

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 4:07PM

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

Top Homeland Security officials next week will do international outreach at major international airports in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America as the U.S. government continues to probe how a Nigerian man with explosives in his underwear was able to board a trans-Atlantic flight.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced in a statement this afternoon that Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman and other senior DHS officials to the airports. They will review security procedures and technology being used to screen passengers on flights bound for the United States, she said.

"As part of the ongoing review to determine exactly what went wrong leading up to Friday's attempted terrorist attack, we are looking not only at our own processes, but also beyond our borders to ensure effective aviation security measures are in place for U.S-bound flights that originate at international airports," Napolitano said.

She said the officials will find ways to "collectively bolster our tactics for defeating terrorists wherever they may seek to launch an attack" and said she will follow-up with them in meetings in January.

President Obama received a preliminary review today that sources say will reveal communication and process breakdown within the intelligence community before the incident.

Flight 253

Reyes Asks For 'Blatant Politicization Of National Security' To Stop

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 3:44PM

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)

House Intelligence panel Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes bemoaned the politics that have taken over the investigation into Flight 253 and said Congress must take a "hard look" into what happened leading up to the failed Christmas Day terror attempt.

Reyes (D-TX) said he is closely following the developments and is being briefed by White House and committee staffers. President Obama received the preliminary review today in Hawaii.

"This incident is an incredibly serious and disturbing reminder that intelligence sharing and U.S. security systems are better than they once were, but they're not where they need to be," Reyes said in a statement. "As soon as Congress returns, the Committee will be taking a hard look at what could have been done better in this case and what changes to our intelligence processes may be necessary."

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Flight 253

Obama Says He'll Meet With Aides On Flight 253 Review Tuesday

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 3:06PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama held secure conference calls with his top national security team today in Hawaii to receive the preliminary review of the events leading to the failed terror attempt on Flight 253.

Obama did not reveal the contents of the review, expected to show some communication failures in the intelligence collection process, but issued a short statement previewing his actions when he returns from his Hawaiian vacation next week.

This morning, I spoke with John Brennan about preliminary assessments from the ongoing consultations I have ordered into the human and systemic failures that occurred leading up to the attempted act of terrorism on Christmas Day and about our government-wide efforts at continued vigilance on homeland security and counterterrorism efforts. In a separate call, I spoke with Sec. Napolitano to receive an update on both the Department of Homeland Security review of detection capabilities and the enhanced security measures in place since the Christmas Day incident.

I anticipate receiving assessments from several agencies this evening and will review those tonight and over the course of the weekend. On Tuesday, in Washington, I will meet personally with relevant agency heads to discuss our ongoing reviews as well as security enhancements and intelligence-sharing improvements in our homeland security and counterterrorism operations.

Flight 253

Ka-Ching! GOP Goes For Big Flight 253 Payday

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2009, 1:15PM

In a move that would have been hard to imagine in previous years, the GOP has launched multiple fundraising efforts in the wake of the failed attack on Flight 253, seeking to turn the Christmas Day event into not just a political attack on the Obama administration, but also a boost for their year-end fundraising.

• The first fundraising play was done by Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), who is running for governor, and sent out this e-mail for his gubernatorial campaign: "My promise to you, as your governor, my first duty and most solemn responsibility is to keep Michigan safe! ... If you agree that we need a Governor who will stand up the Obama/Pelosi efforts to weaken our security please make a most generous contribution of $25, $50, $100 or even $250 to my campaign."

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Flight 253

Poll: Majority Favor Waterboarding Flight 253 Suspect

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2009, 10:47AM

Flight 253 suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

A new Rasmussen poll finds that voters want to go to great lengths against Flight 253 bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, with a majority saying he should be waterboarded to extract information.

The poll asked: "Should waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques be used to gain information from the suspected bomber?" The result was 58% yes, to only 30% who said no.

The internals shouldn't be too surprising: "Men and younger voters are more strongly supportive of the aggressive interrogation techniques than women and those who are older. Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party favor their use more than Democrats."

The poll also found that 71% want the event to be investigated by military authorities as a terrorist act, to only 22% who want it to be investigated by civilian authorities as a criminal act. (Note, however, that this phrasing of the question is a bit different than if respondents had been asked about trying the suspect at a military commission or a criminal court.)

Flight 253

White House Grants Waiver For Brennan To Work On Flight 253 Review

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 10:34AM

Dep. National Security Advisor John Brennan

Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan was granted an ethics waiver so he can be part of the review into the incidents leading up to the Flight 253 attempted terror attack.

The White House announced and posted the waiver in a blog post last night, just before Brennan delivers the preliminary review to the president.

Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, wrote in the blog that Brennan deserves a waiver to get around the Obama administration's rules related to former employers because he "brings a unique mixture of know-how and understanding to this assignment."

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Flight 253

Obama Getting Preliminary Flight 253 Report Today

Christina Bellantoni | December 31, 2009, 10:06AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama will learn preliminary results from the review he ordered of the leadup to the attempt terror attack on the Christmas Day Flight 253.

Sources tell TPMDC that Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, will receive a basic readout before the full review is completed. The probe will reportedly show that U.S. government intelligence agencies failed to share key information, a similar criticism in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

It is unlikely the information will be shared with the press and the public.

The Associated Press reported that White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan was planning to send Obama the first summary of the review. The final report also will include recommendations for how to prevent future missteps.

Administration officials believe the review will show a link between Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and al Qaeda.

Late Update: Brennan also was granted a waiver to participate in the review. More on that here.

Barack Obama

Polls Show No Political Backlash Against Obama After Flight 253 -- Even A Possible Improvement

Eric Kleefeld | December 31, 2009, 9:50AM

President Barack Obama

Have the Republican political attacks on President Obama over the Flight 253 attempted bombing been working? So far the answer is no, from the polls that have come out since then -- if anything, Obama's approval rating may have gone up slightly.

In the Gallup daily tracking poll released on December 24, before the attack, Obama's approval rating was 51%, with 42% disapproval. In the daily Rasmussen daily tracking poll, conducted during that same baseline period of December 21-23, Obama was at 44%-56% (Rasmussen consistently has Obama's approval lower, and disapproval higher, than other outlets).

In the polls released yesterday, which were both conducted entirely after the attempted bombing, Gallup has Obama at 53%-41%, and Rasmussen has him at 47%-52%. Today's Rasmussen poll is 46%-53%. Although the two polls are in different positions, the movement is roughly the same, with a very slight increase in Obama's approval compared to the week before.

While this movement is obviously too small to suggest there's been a definite improvement for Obama, and there certainly hasn't been any sort of rally-around-the-flag effect, we can definitely rule out any sort of political backlash that Republicans have been trying to create.

Flight 253

WH Hits Back: Obama 'Doesn't Need To Beat His Chest To Prove' Nation Is At War

Christina Bellantoni | December 30, 2009, 4:27PM

President Obama

In an unusually direct and aggressive blog post, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer today criticizes former Vice President Dick Cheney for his constant critique of the administration's national security policies.

Pfeiffer wrote, "it is telling that Vice President Cheney and others seem to be more focused on criticizing the Administration than condemning the attackers."

Pfeiffer said that in his statement to Politico today Cheney makes a "clearly untrue" claim that Obama doesn't realize we're at war.

"I don't think anyone realizes this very hard reality more than President Obama," Pfeiffer wrote, detailing the times Obama and his top advisers have used the term.

"The difference is this: President Obama doesn't need to beat his chest to prove it, and - unlike the last Administration - we are not at war with a tactic ("terrorism"), we [are] at war with something that is tangible: al Qaeda and its violent extremist allies. And we will prosecute that war as long as the American people are endangered," he wrote.

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Steve King

Steve King: Obama Refuses To Share Info On Flight 253

Eric Kleefeld | December 30, 2009, 10:28AM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is accusing the Obama administration of refusing to share information with him and other Republican members of Congress on the attempted Flight 253 bombing. In response, King is calling for the relevant administration officials to brief all of Congress, for several hours behind closed doors.

"You can't ask Congress to support your effort if you can't at least have a sit-down conversation in a classified setting," King told Iowa Public Television. "So what I'm going to push for is a session of Congress that is a classified briefing on the floor of Congress that brings in all the administration personnel that have jurisdiction over this and then close and lock the doors, shut down the security and then keep them there for three or four hours so they have to answer the questions rather than filibuster the questions."

Typically, security information is shared with particular members of Congress on specific committees, rather than all of Congress, in order to avoid creating too many opportunities for information to leak out. The idea of briefing all of Congress would certainly be interesting.

Dick Cheney

Cheney On Flight 253: Obama 'Trying To Pretend We Are Not At War'

Eric Kleefeld | December 30, 2009, 9:00AM

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is adding his voice to the ranks of Republicans who are criticizing President Obama's response to the attempted bombing of Flight 253, declaring that Obama "is trying to pretend we are not at war," and that this is because being at war "doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency - social transformation -- the restructuring of American society."

Here is the full statement Cheney gave to Politico:

"As I've watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won't be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won't be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of 9/11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won't be at war.

"He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core al Qaeda trained terrorists still there, we won't be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, 'war on terror,' we won't be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren't, it makes us less safe. Why doesn't he want to admit we're at war? It doesn't fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency - social transformation -- the restructuring of American society. President Obama's first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war."

Janet Napolitano

NRCC Uses Napolitano Blunder On Flight 253 To Hammer House Dems

Eric Kleefeld | December 29, 2009, 5:55PM

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

The Republican Party is using Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to attack House Democrats in the wake of her much-derided comment that "the system worked" in response to the near-bombing of Flight 253.

(Napolitano was speaking of the response to the attack after the fact, but her detractors are understandably more focused on the intelligence failures before the event.)

The NRCC has put out a new press release against swing-seat Democrats on the Homeland Security and Government Oversight committees, calling on them to demand that Napolitano testify to Congress: "Will (member name) finally demand answers from Secretary Napolitano, or will (he/she) continue to silently endorse her alarming statement that 'the system worked' in the face of building evidence that the administration is unable to confront serious threats against the American people?"

Interestingly, one of the Dems on the receiving end of this press release is Rep. Chris Carney (PA) -- who was being courted by the GOP last week to switch parties, and even got a phone call from Sen. John McCain. Carney then put out a statement turning down the offer, but also thanking the GOP and declaring "their outreach a sure sign that I have worked in a truly bipartisan manner." Now they're attacking him in a press release. It looks like that courtship was over as quickly as it began.

The full press release is available after the jump.

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Guantanamo Bay

Senators Lieberman, McCain And Graham Ask Obama To Halt Transfer Of Yemeni Gitmo Detainees

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 5:01PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote a letter to President Obama today asking he halt any transfer of the six Yemeni detainees being held in Guantanamo Bay.

The trio of senators, who often see eye-to-eye on national security issues, said the transfer of the detainees would be "highly unwise and ill-considered."

Lieberman (I-CT) McCain (R-AZ) and Graham (R-SC) asked that until the United States is sure the detainees "will not return to the battlefield," all transfers to Yemen should cease.

A senior administration official tells TPMDC that Obama's Guantanamo review specifically identifies each detainee.

The task force evaluates detainees and the threat they pose, to determine whether they should be prosecuted, detained, or transferred, the official said.

The administration has worked with the government of Yemen to make sure all appropriate security measures are taken when the detainees are transferred, and Obama "will not release any detainee who would endanger the American people," the official said.

The official said Gitmo has been used by Al Qaeda as a rallying cry and recruiting tool, and the administration maintains that closing it is a national security imperative.

Excerpts from the Lieberman/McCain/Graham letter after the jump, and read it in full here.

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Pete Hoekstra

DNC Says Hoekstra Fundraising Email 'Tells You All You Need To Know' About GOP

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 2:59PM

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)

Democrats say Rep. Pete Hoekstra went too far using the failed terror attempt on flight 253 to raise money for his campaign for governor.

As we reported earlier, Hoekstra (R-MI) fundraised off the Christmas Day incident and joined other Republicans who are calling the Obama White House weak.

DNC Spokesman Hari Sevugan sharply criticized Hoekstra:

"It was shameful that Republicans like Mr. Hoekstra would attempt to play politics with our national security at all, but raising money off it is beyond the pale," Sevugan said.

"Republicans are playing politics with issues of national security and terrorism, and that they would use this incident as an opportunity to fan partisan flames and raise money for political campaigns tells you all you need to know about how far the Republican party has fallen and how out of step with the American people they have become," he added.

"The American people simply will not tolerate the likes of Mr. Hoekstra and the Republican Party playing politics with the serious issues of national security and terrorism - especially after the mess they left this country in both domestically and on national security after eight years of failed leadership."

Jim DeMint

S.C. Dems Blast Sen. Jim DeMint As Endangering Lives With Hold On TSA Nominee

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 1:16PM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

South Carolina Democrats have wasted no time attacking Sen. Jim DeMint for blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers to be administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, suggesting his moves have threatened the lives of "millions of American travelers."

DeMint (R-SC) had placed a hold on the vote to confirm Southers because he wanted to debate the nomination instead of approve it under unanimous consent.

Democratic leadership will vote on the nomination when they return from recess next month.

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TSA

Dems Vow Roll Call Vote On TSA Nominee Delayed By Sen. Jim DeMint

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 12:36PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will schedule a formal Senate roll call vote on the nomination of Erroll Southers to be administrator of the Transportation Security Administration as soon as Congress returns from break.

Reid spokesman Jim Manley told TPMDC that Reid will file a cloture motion as soon as the Senate reconvenes the week of Jan. 19. He said it's a necessary step to overcome Sen. Jim DeMint's hold on the nomination.

"In light of recent incidents TSA deserves to have its leadership in place," Manley said. "It is long past time for Senator DeMint to stop trying to score cheap political points."

Confirmations rarely are subject to roll call votes - several passed the Senate by unanimous consent the day they adjourned.

Democrats are furious that DeMint (R-SC) blocked the confirmation over a question of whether Southers would allow collective bargaining for TSA screeners. They believe that if Democrats had delayed a national security nominee under a Republican president, their party would be excoriated.

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Pete Hoekstra

Hoekstra Uses Airline Attack To Raise Money For Gubernatorial Campaign

Eric Kleefeld | December 29, 2009, 9:44AM

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) is now jumping upon the the Northwest Airlines attack -- and using it to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign, the Grand Rapids Press reports.

In the letter, Hoekstra denounces the Obama administration on a whole range of national security issues -- ranging from Flight 253 itself to Guantanamo Bay, investigation of the interrogation techniques used during the Bush administration, and what Hoekstra calls Obama policies that "impress the 'Blame America First' crowd at home and his thousands of fans overseas."

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Terrorism

Congress Starts TSA Administrator Blame Game

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 9:30AM

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)

Democrats are pointing fingers at Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) for blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers as the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, and the conservative senator is pointing right back.

DeMint's office said it's not an issue of blocking Southers but instead that the senator is seeking debate on the nomination.

DeMint isn't planning on revoking the hold.

A Senate aide told TPMDC that DeMint's objection was to the procedure Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to use to approve the nomination - unanimous consent.

DeMint thought there should be a debate and a roll call vote, the aide said.

"Leader Reid can schedule consideration of this nomination any time he wants," the aide said. "But he felt health care was more important. Our view is if the Democrats are upset they've only got themselves to blame because Obama took forever to nominate him."

Southers was nominated in early September and his confirmation hearings were wrapped up earlier this month.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said in a statement TSA needs a permanent administrator.

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