A small private intelligence company that monitors Islamic terrorist groups obtained a new Osama bin Laden video ahead of its official release last month, and around 10 a.m. on Sept. 7, it notified the Bush administration of its secret acquisition. It gave two senior officials access on the condition that the officials not reveal they had it until the al-Qaeda release. Within 20 minutes, a range of intelligence agencies had begun downloading it from the company's Web site. By midafternoon that day, the video and a transcript of its audio track had been leaked from within the Bush administration to cable television news and broadcast worldwide. The founder of the company, the SITE Intelligence Group, says this premature disclosure tipped al-Qaeda to a security breach and destroyed a years-long surveillance operation that the company has used to intercept and pass along secret messages, videos and advance warnings of suicide bombings from the terrorist group's communications network. link
rita katz is a bit of a self-important self promoter, so I will withhold judgment on this one on a temp basis.
I would think you would be happy. I'm being open-minded and reserving judgment until we see confirmation from other sources.
via TPM -- Who Leaked the Bin Laden Video? 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: DNI is pushing back, the Washington Post reports today: 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. --David Kurtz http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
