Yesterday, the White House appeared to subtly shift the blame for the leak of the Osama bin Laden video to the Directorate of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell’s office. Here’s what Dana Perino said initially in her press briefing, followed by her backing off:
Q Dana, you said this morning in the gaggle that the White House did not leak the information about the bin Laden tape. How do you know that?
MS. PERINO: Well, this is — let me take you back. This is the — there was a private company that contacted the White House to let us know that they had found the Osama bin Laden tape, asked us if we wanted to have the federal government review it. When — the standard practice at the White House is to take that phone call — to take that request and direct it to — directly to the DNI’s office. So we do not ask to have that information just solely reviewed at the White House, we immediately turn it over to the National Center for Counterterrorism.
That’s what Fred Fielding and Joel Bagnal did, the two people who were aware of the link. And it went to the DNI — I’m sorry — it went to the NCTC. And to the extent that we have Americans coming forward to provide us information, whether it be a private citizen or a private cooperation, or anybody in America that can provide the government information, we take it very seriously that they should, one, feel comfortable that in providing that information, that their sources will be protected; and that we will act on it, if necessary. We appreciate what they did. This was a cause of concern that the information was leaked. And I would have to refer to the DNI’s office in regards to any possible investigation into that leak.
. . .
Q When you refer questions about the leak of the bin Laden tape to DNI, is that a way of suggesting the leak might have come from DNI?
MS. PERINO: No, no. The Director of National Intelligence, as the overseer and coordinator of all intelligence agencies, that’s the appropriate place for me to refer you.
DNI is pushing back, the Washington Post reports today:
Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, said officials are looking into the leak allegation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which passed the video on to the White House and the director of national intelligence’s office before its leak.
“At this point, we don’t think there was a leak from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or the National Counterterrorism Center,” Feinstein said.
Considering this White House’s track record on leaks, it should be noted that the bin Laden video was leaked on September 7, the Friday before Gen. David Petraeus was slated to begin his much-anticipated testimony on Iraq the following Monday.
