Update: WH Admits Nat’l Intel Director Not Briefed on UK Arrests
- Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:05pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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After initially blaming Diane Sawyer and an “ambiguous” question for National Intelligence Director James Clapper’s inability to answer a question on recent UK terror arrests, the White House has now admitted that Clapper was not briefed on the issue prior to the interview.
The arrests had taken place the morning of the interview, and had been popular news on all the major networks. Still, Clapper had no idea about them when Sawyer asked him about their implications for the U.S.
“Director Clapper had not yet been briefed on the arrests in the United Kingdom at the time of this interview taping,” said ODNI spokeswoman Jamie Smith in a statement.
She explained that Clapper had been “working throughout the day on important intelligence matters, including monitoring military and political developments on the Korean Peninsula, providing answers to questions concerning the ratification of the START nuclear treaty, and other classified issues. He wasn‘t immediately briefed on London because it didn’t appear to have a homeland nexus and there was no immediate action by the DNI required. Nevertheless, he should have been briefed on the arrests, and steps have been taken to ensure that he is in the future. The intelligence community as a whole was fully aware of this development and tracking it closely.”
ABC’s Jake Tapper broached the issue during a White House press briefing today, Smith’s position was repeated by White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, who was present during the Sawyer interview.
“[Clapper] was working on developments in the Korean Peninsula, in terms of political/military developments,” Brennan said. “He was focused on trying to provide support to the Congress as far as the START treaty deliberations were concerned. He was engaged in a variety of classified matters.”
Brennan then tried to spin the gaffe into a positive, by suggesting that it was a good thing Clapper wasn’t watching the news:
Should he have been briefed by his staff on those arrests? Yes. And I know there was breathless attention by the media about these arrests, and it was constantly on the news networks. I‘m glad that Jim Clapper is not sitting in front of the TV 24 hours a day and monitoring what’s coming out of the media. What he is doing is focusing on those intelligence issues that the president expects him to focus on and to make sure that we don’t have conflict in different parts of the world.
Take comfort.
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Comments (59)
harumph
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:27pmIncompetence, all.
Report Post »Doesn’t his title have a “director” in it. It sure looks like he’s a little do-boy, doesn’t it.
Most of his time probably chasing right-wing Christian radicals.
tjdavid21444
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:22pmSo, “He wasn‘t immediately briefed on London because it didn’t appear to have a homeland nexus…” But one of the things he was so busy with was the situation on the Korean peninsula. Exactly what “homeland nexus” does that have?
Report Post »bcullum1952
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:17pmGuess you do not have to have intelligence to be Obama’s Intelligence person. If you knew more than your boss guess you would be a threat to him and his ego.
I always thought that a smart, wise man would surround himself with the best people, but this is not true in this case (and I suspect most of Obama’s selections). That is the truly scary thing about our current Administration. He says he does not want “yes men” around him, but it seems that is all he picks.
If he was “unaware” of the UK arrests, what else is he unaware of? And what else is his boss unaware of?
Report Post »dablooz
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:05pmThanks to the nt neutrality stuff being passed, he will now be able to get the info he needs and that the rest of us already have.
Report Post »Disabledvet
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:04pmAs director this man should know everything, he clearly isn’t doing his job and should be fired now. quit wasting tax payers money on someone that will not do his job.
Report Post »Country
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:00pmShouldn’t Director James Clapper be the one advising the WH about the terrorist arrest? I am sooo confused.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:56pmToo late!!!! They can’t cover up for this uninformed moron.
Report Post »123abc
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:50pmThe obama administration is briefed on very little except how to socialize and destroy the USA.
Report Post »Ronko
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:37pmWhy am I not surprised hell watch Wikileaks in a couple years from now leak documents that shows the USA intentionally caused the oil leak in the gulf. The British thing with Libya is disgusting but I’ve seen worser acts of evil.
Report Post »neverending
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:33pmNothing surprises me anymore.
Report Post »jpjuve
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:32pmIf he would‘ve watched Fox news he would’ve been informed; even i knew that.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:58pmHe’s too busy trying to shut Fox down to watch it!
Report Post »FedupinFlorida2
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:32pmIt is going to be a long two years. Let’s hope that we can hold on with these idiots. It’s like watching dumb and dumber!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:57pmLet‘s hope it’s just two years.
Report Post »davecoolworld
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:39pmLet’s hope we can hold out the next two years. Oh no, did I say “hope”?
Report Post »Speak without Fear
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:24pmOh well….you know……its not really that important anyways. I am sure the National Intelligence Director has bigger things to worry about…..you know……like “WE THE PEOPLE” who cling to our bibles and guns…..or possibly……..just a golf game or two.
GOOD GRIEF!!!!
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:20pmAnd yet the White House, grandma goo goo, dirty harry and janet no-plan-to-go-to are worried about American citizens being terrorists. Talk about us having no brains. It is very sad to know that we “average citizens” know more than the politicans. Also, the idiots at (M)oronicly (S)tupid (N)azi (B)roadcast (C)enter and (C)ommunist (N)ational (N)ews will not carry or talk about it either.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:20pmSo, if you watch Fox News you get better briefings than the Nation Intelligence Director. Unbelievable.
Report Post »Can this bunch get any worse? Geez, asked that last week and they have.
mtnclimberjim
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:19pmDooomed
Report Post »Tomr
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:17pmClapper…White House….intelligence, somehow I can’t make the connection.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:02pmRoger that!
Report Post »tobefreeinmt
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:15pmIs anybody getting how dangerous this administration is to this country? Either these people are conspirators and traitors, or they are some of the stupidest people on the planet. Or maybe they’re both? Looks to me like they’re both!!
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:23pmIs this what being a college graduate is like?
Report Post »parmajohn
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:15pmTurn on the TV..Radio Heaven forbid that evil Internet….. These “FOLKS” are beyond Scary
Report Post »PAAM
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 6:21pmso, 2:3 national intel leades are in the dark..I think these knuckleheads & their staff will be watching the evil cable networks when they get dressed in the AM….hopefully 365 days/year…Merry Christmas
Report Post »temple62
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:15pmAnd was he briefed about the World Trade Center or does he think they are still standing. Can we just “mail his check” to him so we don’t have to experience the embarrassment of these incompetents anymore?
Report Post »STUBBYK
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 7:41pmMaybe they should rename him National Director of Stupidity.
Report Post »spendthrift
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:13pmSo what is he doing? Watching CBS?
Report Post »Disabledvet
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:02pmNope he was working with the FCC listening to Rush and others trying to find something to use against them.
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:12pm“She explained that Clapper had been “working throughout the day on important intelligence matters”, i.e., what are the Tea Parties up to? NRA members?
Report Post »DimmuBorgir
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:07pmso now the white house briefs the director of intelligence??
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:14pmExcellent point. The Blaze staff could save on bandwidth if they’d just install a thumbs up & thumbs down icon!
Report Post »randy
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:18pmYeah I caught that too dimmuborgir
Lies Lies Lies
Report Post »guyperram
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:07pmMaybe he should read The Blaze.
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:15pmNah! Obama’s reading “real” news sources. Like HuffPo, right 13thGenMoron?
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 2:40pm@leftfighter
Report Post »Oh please don’t wake up the moron.
I don’t think anyone was notified because we are just a world wide laughing stock. If they tell us anything, what are we going to do about it? Body cavity searches at the train station, strip search grandma?
Muslim in Chief
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:06pmOk, it is official….no one in the White House has a clue.
Report Post »cessna152
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 12:11pmYup… 30 seconds on the internet is all it takes to find this out. Unless you’re on .gov or SEIU’s site all the time.
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:10pmIt’s also official that Obama & Co. are officially asleep at the wheel.
Report Post »just the facts
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:16pmThis does not surprise me. barry put people in positions to further the progressive agenda, not inform them. His people are not fit to run this country or to maintain our liberties, our way of life, or protect us. Creating problems helps them solve their change program.
Report Post »KICKILLEGALSOUT
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:31pmOf course they aren’t briefed on real security threats. What the Obama administration considers a threat is how a Muslim schoolteacher couldn’t take a 3 week vacation in the middle of the school year. Or maybe the administration was to busy sending wondering which terror sponsoring mosques our ambassadors should visit next to promote programs so radical Muslim students can come to our universities, you know real issues in the world to protect with our tax dollars!
Can I get a sign on the side of a bus that says that,
Report Post »Obama administration, sending our ambassadors to bow down at a terror mosque near you.
Paid for by American tax dollars.
davecoolworld
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:33pmSo, the protocol for the National Intelligence Director of this administration to get intelligence is to watch tv?
Report Post »Rogue
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 1:43pmIf this had been a National Intelegence Director under a GOP administration, you can bet the left would be calling for his head on a platter – it would have had top billing on every lamestream media’s nightly news. Sounds like another useless Gov’t agency to me – he just passes info between other agencies apparently. Reminds me of the guy on “Office Space” when asked :” What exactly would you say, that you do here?”
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on December 22, 2010 at 2:14pmClapper and his Department were also caught off guard recently when asked about the lasting effects of 9-11. Clapper immediately ordered his people to make sure their 9-1-1 numerals on their work telephones were working properly. In a statement he said “We want to make sure all of our employees have access to Emergency Medical services”.
Morons!
PatriotShops.com
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