Tuesday, January 04, 2011
U.S. House to investigate Wikileaks
From The Hindu
Even as the United States’ 112th Congress convenes for the first time on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has planned a far-reaching investigation into Wikileaks, the whistleblower website that courted controversy by publishing secret State Department cables over the last few months.
According to a list of hearing topics obtained by Politico magazine, the House Oversight Committee headed by Representative Darrell Issa, “is aiming to launch investigations on everything from WikiLeaks to Fannie Mae to corruption in Afghanistan in the first few months” of the year.
While the investigation into Wikileaks in particular is regarded by some as a partisan action targeting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for his “slow and too weak” reaction to the leaks, Mr. Issa’s minority counterpart, Representative Elijah Cummings was quoted as saying that Congress ought to “be careful with [oversight] power” and use caution and austerity in hearings.
Specifically Mr. Cummings warned, in a statement to Politico, that he would “draw a line at which any witch hunts or hearings that are conducted purely for partisan gains,” and he would ask Mr. Issa not to prejudge any of issues or seek answers only to confirm political leanings.
Some commentators also noted that “there was a grand jury in place looking at Assange and these investigators should be left to complete their work,” adding that charges were needed that would stick.
The House Oversight Committee enjoys sweeping powers of summons and can demand testimonies from top officials through subpoena. According to the Guardian newspaper the Committee could begin conducting hearings later this month.
In justifying his committee’s investigation into Wikileaks, Mr. Issa reportedly said it wanted “to get that right so the diplomats can do their job with confidence and people can talk to our government with confidence.” He added that the new Congress would have to pass legislation to try to prevent similar acts of whistle blowing.
In a television interview over last weekend he was further quoted as saying, “If the president says, ‘I cannot deal with this guy as a terrorist’' then he has to be able to deal with him as a criminal, otherwise the world is laughing at this paper tiger we've become.”
In the mid-term Congressional elections held in November Democrats lost control of the House and their majority was trimmed in the Senate.
President Barack Obama is likely to face an onslaught of challenges to numerous policies enacted last year, including healthcare reform across states, as well as to his 2011 policy agenda, which is likely to focus on job-creation and controlling the U.S.’ deficit.
On Tuesday the Gallup Poll said that surveys indicated that for the first time in eight months Mr. Obama’s approval ratings had jumped to 50 per cent.
Even as the United States’ 112th Congress convenes for the first time on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has planned a far-reaching investigation into Wikileaks, the whistleblower website that courted controversy by publishing secret State Department cables over the last few months.
According to a list of hearing topics obtained by Politico magazine, the House Oversight Committee headed by Representative Darrell Issa, “is aiming to launch investigations on everything from WikiLeaks to Fannie Mae to corruption in Afghanistan in the first few months” of the year.
While the investigation into Wikileaks in particular is regarded by some as a partisan action targeting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for his “slow and too weak” reaction to the leaks, Mr. Issa’s minority counterpart, Representative Elijah Cummings was quoted as saying that Congress ought to “be careful with [oversight] power” and use caution and austerity in hearings.
Specifically Mr. Cummings warned, in a statement to Politico, that he would “draw a line at which any witch hunts or hearings that are conducted purely for partisan gains,” and he would ask Mr. Issa not to prejudge any of issues or seek answers only to confirm political leanings.
Some commentators also noted that “there was a grand jury in place looking at Assange and these investigators should be left to complete their work,” adding that charges were needed that would stick.
The House Oversight Committee enjoys sweeping powers of summons and can demand testimonies from top officials through subpoena. According to the Guardian newspaper the Committee could begin conducting hearings later this month.
In justifying his committee’s investigation into Wikileaks, Mr. Issa reportedly said it wanted “to get that right so the diplomats can do their job with confidence and people can talk to our government with confidence.” He added that the new Congress would have to pass legislation to try to prevent similar acts of whistle blowing.
In a television interview over last weekend he was further quoted as saying, “If the president says, ‘I cannot deal with this guy as a terrorist’' then he has to be able to deal with him as a criminal, otherwise the world is laughing at this paper tiger we've become.”
In the mid-term Congressional elections held in November Democrats lost control of the House and their majority was trimmed in the Senate.
President Barack Obama is likely to face an onslaught of challenges to numerous policies enacted last year, including healthcare reform across states, as well as to his 2011 policy agenda, which is likely to focus on job-creation and controlling the U.S.’ deficit.
On Tuesday the Gallup Poll said that surveys indicated that for the first time in eight months Mr. Obama’s approval ratings had jumped to 50 per cent.
Labels: House of Representatives, Obama administration, Wikileaks
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 8:12 PM 
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