Clapper: I Didn’t Lie . . . I Just “Forgot”
With this past week’s revelation that a federal appeals court has ruled the NSA program illegal, we now learn that James Clapper didn’t lie when he denied the existence of that program. He just . . . forgot:
Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper wasn’t lying when he wrongly told Congress in 2013 that the government does not “wittingly” collect information about millions of Americans, according to his top lawyer.
He just forgot.
“This was not an untruth or a falsehood. This was just a mistake on his part,” Robert Litt, the general counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said during a panel discussion hosted by the Advisory Committee on Transparency on Friday.
“We all make mistakes.”
Whoops! He also “forgot” to send a follow-up letter correcting his “mistake” when he “realized” it.
Let’s remember the background here, as I explained it in this post from June 2013:
And there appear to be no criminal consequences on the horizon for James Clapper, who flat-out lied to Ron Wyden by answering this question:
Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?
by saying: “No, sir. There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly.” We have now learned that the NSA “wittingly” collects all kinds of data on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans. Wyden knew it, Clapper knew it, Clapper knew Wyden was going to ask the question, and Clapper declined an invitation to revise his answer afterwards.
They now claim Clapper didn’t know the question was going to be asked, but Wyden told him in advance.
Clapper lied under oath, and now he is lying about his lie.
And Obama, by leaving Clapper in his position, shows that he is just fine with all this lying.
Just so we’re clear.
Ding.
Patterico (9c670f) — 5/9/2015 @ 12:45 pmLying liars lie. It’s a thing.
JD (21d5ac) — 5/9/2015 @ 12:50 pmMaybe Clapper could run for president. He’s got the first part nailed. Democrats love liars.
Mike K (90dfdc) — 5/9/2015 @ 12:58 pmthe CIA is very rape culture
happyfeet (831175) — 5/9/2015 @ 1:00 pmoops NSA I mean
the CIA is all about gay porn and thai tranny hookers
i get confuzzled between the two sometimes
happyfeet (831175) — 5/9/2015 @ 1:01 pmIncome taxes? I didn’t willfully not file. I just forgot, and TurboTax didn’t install itself and remind me.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 5/9/2015 @ 1:59 pmBill Clinton’s reaction:
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/164/610/alg_bill_clinton_hand_over_face.jpg
Even Rosemary Woods had a better lie.
Kevin M (25bbee) — 5/9/2015 @ 2:06 pmStatue of limitations is 5 years. That would take it to 2018. Tough on clapper if a Republican is elected. Can we have Scooter Libby as a special prosecutor for Obama-era perjurers?
Kevin M (25bbee) — 5/9/2015 @ 2:11 pmFundamentally transforming America requires a lot of lying.
Otherwise the frogs might jump out of the pot before they’re boiled.
Steve57 (e468ba) — 5/9/2015 @ 2:24 pmhttp://i1.wp.com/www.powerlineblog.com/admin/ed-assets/2015/05/Obama-Liar-copy.jpg
Poor little guy didn’t even make it to the final round, given he was also competing with Susan Rice, Hillary!, John Kerry, Eric Holder, James Clapper, John Koskinen, Michael Morell,…
Steve57 (e468ba) — 5/9/2015 @ 4:19 pmsometimes frogs just jump for the sheer joy of it
they just hopper hop hop across the road to the stream and jumper up on a log floating by and then they hopper hop hop to another log then they hoppity hop across a road what has a ridiculous amount of construction machinery on it and then they see a tasty fly and they just gobble it up!
the secret life of frogs
happyfeet (831175) — 5/9/2015 @ 4:26 pmI ran over a flock(?) of giant toads once. Not enough hippity or hoppity. Thank the good lord for mudflaps and powerwashers.
steveg (fed1c9) — 5/9/2015 @ 6:55 pmI’ve dubbed General Macgoo, because of his resemblance, and also the role he seems willing to play, say with the ‘mostly secular moslem brotherhood,’
narciso (ee1f88) — 5/9/2015 @ 6:57 pmwe were talking about this just the other day
about how new yorkers said oh you wanna build a victory mosque?
no problem.
failmericans are not the sort of sheep what will bleat bleat bleat just cause some lying nsa gestapo boi gets his goose step on all over their private emails and such
in the main these failmericans are actually a dispirited and witless bunch of losers if you wanna know the truth
you should pity them
happyfeet (831175) — 5/10/2015 @ 10:57 amthose paying attention in June 2013 already knew Clapper was lying about the collection of meta data.
So let us not let the GOP off the hook on this. They are willing to prosecute Roger Clemens (admittedly the DoJ did the best they could to lose that case) but nothing with Clapper?
Wonder what Ollie North is thinking about this 🙂
seeRpea (81fcfe) — 5/10/2015 @ 2:05 pm