What's being withheld? RE: Bolton

[NurseCarmen]

Democrats who are demanding access to information, some of it classified, about Bolton. My guess is that they know the information to be damning, otherwise they wouldn’t be grandstanding, and the White House wouldn’t be fighting.

I’ve seen various foggy reports of the information requested

To determine whether Bolton improperly used intelligence to intimidate officials who didn’t agree with his views, Democrats say they want to check a list of 36 U.S. officials against names — initially blacked out — that Bolton requested and received from national security intercepts he reviewed.

But what exactly does* that* mean? And if Democrats were truly informed, as I suspect they are as to the contents, why haven’t we seen any leaks? Or do they suspect a trap? What was on the checklist, and what does it matter that there was a checklist with names?

The whole thing just seems a bit odd to me. Is there more information out there? What is the take on what’s being hidden?

[Rashak_Mani]

How do you prove his used the information badly ? I find it hard to beleive there is much to be revealed.

I think Bolton deserves to lose his nomination on his own demerits. I guess the democrats just wanted to make sure more people knew how badly Bolton stinks.

[Squink]

What Did John Bolton Do with the NSA Intercept Information? Did He Violate National Security Laws?
Rockefeller Reports on NSA Intercepts to Biden and Lugar: Bolton Mishandled National Security Secrets
The second link contains the complete text of Rockefeller’s letter.

The Committee has learned during its interview of Mr. Frederick Fleitz, Mr. Bolton’s acting Chief of Staff, that on at least one occasion Mr. Bolton is alleged to have shared the un-minimized identity information he received from the NSA with another individual in the State Department. In this instance, the NSA memorandum forwarding the requested identity to State INR included the following restriction: “Request no further action be taken on this information without prior approval of NSA.” I have confirmed with the NSA that the phrase “no further action” includes sharing the requested identity of U.S. persons with any individual not authorized by the NSA to receive the identity.

So a quick, dirty, and incomplete look has already revealed impropriety, and possible law-breaking by Bolton. The white house refuses to allow anyone to further check into Bolton’s actions.

[NurseCarmen]

Thank you Squink. That clarifies it.

[Rashak_Mani]

un-minimized identity

??

[Squink]

@Rashak Mani

??

The names were not blacked out (un-minimized) in the documents Bolton received. He was told not to reveal them to other people. He did.

[Jurph]

“Minimizing” is similar to what you’d see in a Victorian novel, where someone talks about a “Mr. G------, the well-known merchant of East End”. The minimizing of their name allows you to think of them as “Mister Gee” but removes their real identity from the document.

[NurseCarmen]

@Squink

The names were not blacked out (un-minimized) in the documents Bolton received. He was told not to reveal them to other people. He did.

Makes ya wonder if one of the names was “Plame”.

[jayjay]

@NurseCarmen

Makes ya wonder if one of the names was “Plame”.

That’s scary, NurseCarmen…it was exactly the thought I had reading Squink’s post.

[Squink]

Waxman letter on Bolton’s involvement in the Niger Yellowcake CockUp

John Bolton promulgated the Niger-Uranium fiction at the State Department despite rejection of this claim by State Department and CIA intelligence analysts.

Waxman argues that not only did Bolton and his people then try to conceal his role in pushing the Niger-Uranium agenda by marking the material “sensitive but unclassified” and blocking it in case of a Freedom of Information Act request, the State Department actually lied to Congress about Bolton’s role.

[Evil_Captor]

@Squink

Waxman letter on Bolton’s involvement in the Niger Yellowcake CockUp

Does look a bit like a smoking gun.