Hoekstra’s Source: Why It Matters

The New York Times reported Friday that in a May letter, House Intel Chair Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) challenged the White House, at the prompting of an anonymous “whistleblower,” to come clean on several secret programs his panel had never heard about.

Yesterday, we spent a lot of time trying to guess the source of the information which sparked Hoekstra’s concern. Was it former NSA staffer Russ Tice? No. One-time WMD hunter Dave Gaubatz? Maybe.

So why is it important? Because the identity of the whistleblower should give us a clue to what programs Hoekstra’s worried about. Of course, judging from Hoekstra’s record alone, it’s pretty clear he would not be much concerned with domestic spying programs. He showed his colors on that issue during the NSA domestic wiretapping debate. But he is concerned with issues like WMD in Iraq — about which Gaubatz had briefed him in May.

But let’s step back from that question, even. Why is it important what programs Hoekstra’s raising a ruckus over? Isn’t it enough that he’s finally standing up to the White House and demanding answers?

Perhaps. But taking Hoekstra’s “whistleblower” concerns in context with the rest of the letter, the document begins to look less like an example of speaking truth to power.

First, he accuses the Bush White House of not being paranoid enough that the CIA is out to get them. Then he defends Porter Goss’ tenure as CIA chief. If he indeed wrapped up his missive with a complaint that he’s not hearing enough about programs which are actually WMD-hunting efforts in Iraq — well, then he’s not so much standing up to the Bush administration as much as he’s trying to outdo them. Out-Cheneying Cheney, as it were.

That puts us in a frame to try to answer the biggest question of all: why now? The letter was sent in May, and Hoekstra says he’s since been briefed on the programs. Kappes and Mike Hayden, whom Hoekstra also complains about, are both installed at the head of the CIA, and they’re hardly going to get the boot on the basis of a leaked letter from the House intelligence committee chair. What’s Hoekstra trying to accomplish?