Kos: The Swiftboating of the Congressional Research Service

[AnnInLa]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/5/223826/8868

The Congressional Research Service, the non-partisan research arm of Congress, has issued two devastating reports on the domestic spying program. The first carefully deconstructed every administration defense and concluded that the program was on shaky legal footing, at best. The second report concluded that the limited briefings given to eight members of Congress violated the law, which requires full disclosure to members of the intelligence committees. The author of both of these reports is one Alfred Cumming. He is the CRS Specialist in Intelligence and National Security.

On Feb. 1st, Representative Peter Hoekstra, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the Director of the Congressional Research Service whining about how Cumming's reports were partisan in nature and not based in law or fact. The letter was the last in a series of attacks on Cumming. On January 25th, the Washington Times ran a hit piece on Cumming, saying he was a registered Democrat, a former Democratic staffer, and he committed the gravest of sins--donating some money to Kerry's presidential campaign. Right wing blogs have picked up on this, and FOX News has done its part as the obligatory megaphone for baseless propaganda.

This modus operandi is standard for the right-wing, but the fact that they resort to attacking a superbly qualified researcher proves they're scared shitless. Just like the smears with Kerry, Wilson, Murtha, and countless others, anytime the right-wing pounds the table this hard, it means they sure have something devastating to hide.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/5/223826/8868