House Intelligence Committee Announces Official Investigation Into Assassination Program

In a statement, the chair of the Intelligence Committee suggests there may have been violations of federal laws.

By Jeremy Scahill

The House Intelligence Committee has just announced that it is launching an official probe into the alleged concealment by former vice president Dick Cheney of a C.I.A. assassination program. Senior Obama officials may think it was perfectly legal, but House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Sylvestre Reyes doesn’t seem to agree (H/T Greg Sargent):

“After careful consideration and consultation with the Ranking Minority Member and other members of the Committee, I am announcing an official Committee investigation into possible violations of federal law, including the National Security Act of 1974.

“This investigation will focus on the core issues of how the congressional intelligence committees and Congress are kept fully and currently informed. To this end, the investigation will examine several issues, including the program discussed during [CIA] Director [Leon] Panetta’s June 24th notification and whether there was any official decision or direction to withold information from the Committee.”

As regular readers of this site know, I have serious questions about the official narrative being offered about this story. These hearings, however, could present an important pressure point on the issue of an independent Special Prosecutor. Stay tuned…

See previous coverage:

Senior Obama Official Backs Cheney and C.I.A., Says Concealment of Assassin Program Legal

The Democrats’ Selective Amnesia on Assassination: Clinton Did It and Obama Does It Too