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Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe

By Jeralyn, Section Misconduct
Posted on Sun Nov 13, 2005 at 06:18:23 PM EST
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Murray Waas reports tonight that Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, former top Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has been cleared in an ethics probe. The probe began in 2004 on a referral from the Justice Department, after it conducted its own investigation and declined to charge Shelby with a crime.

The Senate Ethics Committee inquiry commenced as a result of a referral from the Department of Justice to the committee on July 20, 2004, in which the department said that there existed what sources described as "credible and specific information" that Shelby might have leaked classified information to the press, and then possibly made false statements to federal investigators to conceal what he had done.

What had attracted the interest of the FBI were news reports in 2002 revealing that on the eve of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the National Security Agency had intercepted two Arabic-language messages suggesting that such attacks might soon commence.

Republicans will breathe a sigh of relief on learning Shelby was cleared. As Waas says, had the result been different and following so closely on the heels of the Valerie Plame leaks, there likley would have been significant political repurcussions.

Update: Digby had much harsher words for Shelby here.

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    Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe | 10 comments (10 topical)
    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:04 PM EST
    IOKIYAR. IOKIYAR! Got that, Mr. Wilson?

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:04 PM EST
    a few dozen more of these, er..., 'leak' cases and Plame will have been all but forgotten. We will have federal shield laws in place that will shield the public from knowing the difference between news and anonymous sourced government propaganda. Judith Miller is the poster girl; in jail for 85 days. Ironically she may be the only criminal in the Iraq war scandal to ever serve time....85 days

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:04 PM EST
    The only reason Shelby was cleared was because Sen Roberts KS failed to recuse himself from the case... "Witnesses leery of testifying while Roberts stays on leak investigation" Roberts is the biggest traitor lover ever to serve at such a high post in our govt. He's consistently stood in the way of any real investigation of the intelligence manipulation and failures, phase II being just the latest case, and he has protected Shelby from day 1 on this case.

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:04 PM EST
    Squeak - He was cleared. Why the smear?

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:06 PM EST
    Gee, Jim, could the clearance be a FALSE report? Is he really not guilty? In Jimworld the Congress never produces a political result, but always defies politics to produce an actual adjudicated report. "In fact, the Senate Intelligence Committee has yet to investigate the issue of whether Bush and senior administration officials misrepresented the intelligence they received from the U.S. intelligence community." (mediamatters.org) Congress is overrun with Communists who wanted to bring a good man down, right, Jim?

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:06 PM EST
    'Cleared' is not equivalent to 'found not guilty.' After a two year investigation, "The FBI was convinced not only that Shelby leaked the information regarding the intercepts, but also that the senator might have misled the FBI when he was interviewed about his actions, according to sources. They advocated that Shelby be prosecuted." And, instead, the Ethic Committee once again 'FAILS' to find sufficient evidence of malfeasance. Those Communists are SURE good at hiding their criminality from the Good Burghers of the IOKIYAR Commission.

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#7)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:07 PM EST
    "'Cleared' is not equivalent to 'found not guilty.'" Do you feel the same way about every WOT detainee released by our gvt w/o charges?

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:07 PM EST
    Don't be ridiculous, suo. Were they officers of the US government, under oath to protect national security, and under additional oaths they took when they were given security clearances? The generalized Arab conspiracy to commit terror is a racist myth. It has nothing in common with a fake investigation by a corrupt committee in the Senate, which whitewashed an impeachable act by a Senator who violated his several oaths and promises.

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:07 PM EST
    PIL - Who can challenge such stupidity? Enjoy.

    Re: Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:07 PM EST
    Certainly Jim's famous lack of ability to respond has not failed him in this instance. Shelby was not 'cleared' in an ethics probe. He was cleared by the partisan Ethics Committee of the Senate. Not the same thing at all. In a real probe, he would be forced from office for his actions.

    Shelby Cleared in Ethics Probe | 10 comments (10 topical)