-Caveat Lector- .............................................................. Forwarded from the New Paradigms Project [Not Necessarily Endorsed]: From: Remy C. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: endsecrecy list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [endsecrecy] Judge OKs CIA Spending Secrecy Date: Sunday, November 28, 1999 11:20 AM From: "Dunn, Steven J." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: 'Skywatch' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [SO] AP: Judge OKs CIA Spending Secrecy Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 12:44:58 -0800 Monday November 22 4:56 PM ET Judge OKs CIA Spending Secrecy By TOM RAUM Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Clinton administration doesn't have to disclose what it spends on intelligence activities, dismissing a lawsuit by a group seeking publication of the total. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan sided with CIA Director George Tenet, who had refused to publicize the total on national security grounds. Those seeking the declassification of the spending figure argued that President Clinton had previously supported disclosure of the spending levels, for 1997 and 1998 - $26.6 billion and $26.7 billion, respectively. ``The fact that the president encouraged release of similar information in the earlier years is not determinative here,'' Hogan said in granting the government's motion for dismissal of the lawsuit brought by the Federation of American Scientists. ``The decision deprives the public of the most basic form of accountability,'' said Steven Aftergood, director of the federation's government secrecy project. ``But we are confident that sooner or later, this information will be declassified.'' He said no decision had been made on whether to appeal. The Justice Department told a hearing this month that while Clinton had earlier supported releasing the spending figures, Tenet had persuaded him otherwise, beginning with the fiscal 1999 budget. The intelligence budget, sometimes called ``black'' spending by Congress, is scattered and fragmented through dozens of defense and other programs in the federal budget to hide them from public scrutiny. The Senate late last week approved a bill authorizing spending on these programs for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Sources close to the legislation said that the total figure had grown from the $26.7 billion the government acknowledged in 1998 to about $29.5 billion. The Federation of American Scientists went to court to try to obtain the 1999 figures after the administration denied their Freedom of Information Act request seeking the number. Hogan, in his ruling, said that while the president clearly has the authority to release the figures on his own, Clinton ``never released or ordered the release of'' the most recent figures for intelligence spending - neither his request to Congress nor the total appropriated. CIA Director Tenet had argued in court papers that since the 1997 and 1998 levels were already known, publishing more recent figures would telegraph too much information about possible changes in spending patterns. ``The court must defer to ... Tenet's decision that release of a third consecutive year, amidst the information already publicly available, provides too much trend information and too great a basis for comparison and analysis for our adversaries,'' the judge wrote. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Check out your group's private Chat room -- http://www.egroups.com/ChatPage?listName=endsecrecy&m=1 Forwarded for info and discussion from the New Paradigms Discussion List, not necessarily endorsed by: *********************************** Lloyd Miller, Research Director for A-albionic Research (POB 20273, Ferndale, MI 48220), a ruling class/conspiracy research resource for the entire political-ideological spectrum. Quarterly journal, book sales, rare/out-of-print searches, New Paradigms Discussion List, Weekly Up-date Lists & E-text Archive of research, intelligence, catalogs, & resources. To Discuss Ideas: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://msen.com/~lloyd/ For Ordering Info & Free Catalog: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://a-albionic.com/formaddress.html For Discussion List: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] text in body: subscribe prj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> **FREE RARE BOOK SEARCH: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ** Explore Our Archive: <http://a-albionic.com/a-albionic.html> Every Diet Has Failed! What Can I do? Click Below to "Ask Dr. Kathleen"! http://www.radiantdiet.com/cgi-bin/slim/deliver.cgi?ask-1364 *********************************** DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
