From Fox News:
In between applauding President Obama for overseeing the successful raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, some Republicans and ex-officials are starting to question what they see as a disconnect: How can the administration be investigating CIA agents whose techniques may have led America to Al Qaeda's top guy?
They're calling on the Obama administration to not only restart the CIA interrogation program in some form, but to end once and for all the Justice Department's probe of CIA employees.
Mark Levin Fan site informed us yesterday that Debra Burlingame, the sister of pilot Charles “Chic” Burlingame III whose plane was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon on 9/11, discussed with Neil Cavuto [yesterday] President Barack Obama’s decision to not release Osama bin Laden’s death photos and to give him a respectful sea burial:
Now we learn today that Burlingame was among many 9/11 families that met with the President this morning at the Ground Zero wreath-laying ceremony, in which she took the opportunity to ask Obama about AG Holder holding indictments over the heads of CIA interrogators who were instrumental in leading the administration to bin Laden’s demise:
“…I told him that I was aware that Eric Holder was still pursuing possible criminal charges against CIA interrogators, the very interrogators who got the information in enhanced interrogations from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu al-Libbi, even though that they’d been cleared through two investigations. And I said, as a former attorney, I know that you can’t tell the Attorney General what to do, and he said, “No, I can’t.” And I said that shouldn’t stop you from offering your opinion; after all, we wouldn’t be here celebrating today if they hadn’t done their job, and they have the hammer of a possible indictment over their heads, and can’t you at least give him your opinion? And he said, “No, I won’t.” And he turned around and walked away.”
When questioned if she believed that Obama is not involved in discussing the charges of the case with AG Holder, Burlingame gave the same response that so many of us would, “No. (laugh) No, I don’t believe he’s not involved with that at all.” She continued, “And while it’s true he’s not supposed to direct the Attorney General…his client isn’t the President, his client is us, you and me, the American People. And the President isn’t supposed to interfere in investigations. But (laugh) let’s be real here! That doesn’t mean that he can’t say to Eric Holder, “This is my opinion on this”. He’s a citizen just like the rest of us. There’s nothing to stop him from giving his Attorney General his opinion; and in fact, members of Congress have told me the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed decision was absolutely Obama calling the shots on that, and that Eric Holder was along for the ride. The President can use the Attorney General to distance himself from some of the harder decisions, but I don’t think that that’s what’s happening here…I do believe that this prosecution, or potential prosecution…is no longer about prosecuting people, it’s about appeasing the Hard Left, who is obsessed with the whole torture narrative, and I believe that there is not going to be any prosecution, certainly not now, because we know that they were instrumental in bringing down bin Laden, or at least a part of the “mosaic”. I think they’re just leaving it out there. Meanwhile, these families have this hammer over their head, these CIA guys.”
She went on to note an incident in May of last year when a Dallas US Attorney sought to indict CAIR officials for terrorist ties and terrorist funding, in which Eric Holder quashed those indictments. A fiery exchange took place related to this topic between Holder and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) yesterday, that can be viewed here, as well as a link to an exclusive Pajamas Media report of the incident that Burlingame notes.
So there ya go, folks. From the speech on Sunday night to the 'situation room' photo to the wreath-laying at Ground Zero today (first time he's visited the site since being president, by the way), it's all for show. No confirmation photos for the American People, not letting up on CIA interrogators, but fine with letting unindicted co-conspirators loose…not much of anything really ‘gutsy’ from this President or this Attorney General after all, is it?
