Rep. King Wants Criminal Charges Against Papers That Reported Financial-Monitoring Program

GOP Rep. Peter King of New York, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is urging the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against the publishers, editors and reporters at newspapers that reported late last week on a secret program to monitor international financial transactions. Although the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Los Angeles Times all published the story, King focused his anger on the New York Times, telling the Associated Press, "We're at war, and for the Times to release information about secret operations and methods is treasonous." He said that although all three papers published the story, greater focus should be on the New York Times because it also published a story last December that revealed a secret wiretapping program. He charged the paper is, quote, "more concerned about a left-wing elitist agenda than it is about the security of the American people."

Under the program that was begun soon after 9/11, the U.S. Treasury Department works with the CIA to analyze financial information from the Belgium-based database Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), which handles message traffic from thousands of financial institutions in more than 200 countries. The database mostly has information on wire transfers and other methods of moving money in and out of the U.S., and officials said most Americans wouldn't come under scrutiny unless they were transferring or receiving money from abroad. Under the program, investigators have to give the name of someone they suspect of having terrorist links, which officials say prevents fishing expeditions.

The Bush administration had urged the newspapers not to publish the story or to withhold details if they did, but the New York Times cited executive editor Bill Keller as saying editors, quote, "remain convinced that the administration's access to this vast repository of international financial data, however carefully targeted use of it may be, is a matter of public interest." And Los Angeles Times editor Dean Baquet said the newspaper felt it was, quote, "in the best public interest to publish information about the extraordinary reach of this program."

More...

Bush Calls Media Disclosure of Finance Monitoring Program 'Disgraceful'

President Bush joined in the criticism Monday (June 26th) of the disclosure of a secret program that allows the U.S. access to an extensive international financial database, calling the revelation, quote, "disgraceful." Bush said, "The fact that a newspaper disclosed it makes it harder to win this war on terror." In fact, three newspapers -- the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times -- all reported the story late last week, but Republican criticism has focused on the New York Times, which last December also revealed that the National Security Agency had been conducting warrantless surveillance of the calls and e-mails of people with suspected terrorist ties.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow called the disclosure a, quote, "highly unusual departure" from the practice of newspapers honoring the secrecy of classified matters during wartime. He said, "The New York Times and other news organizations ought to think long and hard about whether a public's right to know, in some cases, might overwrite somebody's right to live, and whether, in fact, the publications of these could place in jeopardy the safety of fellow Americans."

New York Times executive editor Bill Keller defended the decision to publish the story about the post-9/11 anti-terrorism program, which is meant to monitor financial transactions into and out of the U.S., saying the paper had spent weeks discussing whether to publish the story with the administration. But, he explained, " ... some officials who have been involved in these programs have spoken to the Times about their discomfort over the legality of the government's actions and over the adequacy of oversight." He said, "We believe the Times and others in the press have served the public interest by accurately reporting on these programs so the public can have an informed view of them."