James Cartwright, Retired General, Targeted In Leak Probe: Reports

WASHINGTON — A former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is under investigation for allegedly leaking classified information about a covert cyberattack on Iran's nuclear facilities, according to media reports.

Retired Marine Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright has been told he is a target of the probe, NBC News and The Washington Post reported Thursday. A "target" is someone a prosecutor or grand jury has substantial evidence linking to a crime and who is likely to be charged.

The Justice Department referred questions to the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore, where a spokeswoman, Marcia Murphy, declined to comment.

The investigation of the leak about the Iran cyberattack is one of a number of national security leak investigations that have been started by the Obama administration, including ones involving The Associated Press and Fox News.

In June 2012, the New York Times reported that Cartwright was a crucial player in the cyber operation called Olympic Games, started under President George W. Bush.

Bush reportedly advised President Barack Obama to preserve Olympic Games.

According to the Times, Obama ordered the cyberattacks sped up, and in 2010 an attack using a computer virus called Stuxnet temporarily disabled 1,000 centrifuges that the Iranians were using to enrich uranium.

Congressional leaders demanded a criminal probe into who leaked the information, and Obama said he had zero tolerance for such leaks. Republicans said senior administration officials had leaked the details to bolster the president's national security credentials during the 2012 campaign.

The Times said Cartwright was one of the crucial players who had to break the news to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden that Stuxnet at one point had escaped onto the Internet.

Obama asked if the program should continue, and after hearing the advice of top advisers, decided to proceed.An element of the program accidentally became public in the summer of 2010 because of a programming error that allowed it to escape Iran's Natanz plant and sent it out on the Internet, the Times reported. After the worm escaped onto the Internet, top administration officials met to consider whether the program had been fatally compromised.

Cartwright, a four-star general, was cleared in February 2011 of misconduct involving a young aide. An anonymous accuser had claimed Cartwright acted inappropriately during a 2009 overseas trip on which the aide traveled as a military assistant. Several sources confirmed that the former aide was a young woman.

The Pentagon inspector general quickly cleared Cartwright of the most serious allegations, which involved claims that he may have had an improper physical relationship with the woman. The report did find that Cartwright mishandled an incident in which the aide, drunk and visibly upset, visited his Tbilisi, Georgia, hotel room alone and either passed out or fell asleep on a bench at the foot of his bed. Cartwright denied any impropriety and was later cleared of all wrongdoing.

Cartwright, once considered the leading candidate to become Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, resigned from the military in August 2011.

NBC said Cartwright did not respond to request for comment and that his attorney, former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig, said he had no comment.

Edward Snowden Says He Sought Booz Allen Hamilton Job To Gather NSA Surveillance Evidence

Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked information on the National Security Agency's surveillance programs, says he sought the job with Booz Allen Hamilton to gather evidence on the agency's data collection networks.

In a June 12 interview with the South China Morning Post published Monday, Snowden, who previously worked as a CIA technician, said he took the position with the intention of collecting information on the NSA.

“My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,” he said. “That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.”

SCMP reports:

Asked if he specifically went to Booz Allen Hamilton to gather evidence of surveillance, he replied: “Correct on Booz.”

His intention was to collect information about the NSA hacking into “the whole world” and “not specifically Hong Kong and China”.

The documents he divulged to the Post were obtained during his tenure at Booz Allen Hamilton in April, he said.

Snowden also told the Chinese newspaper that he intends to leak more documents on the NSA's programs.

Last week, Reuters reported that Booz Allen Hamilton hired Snowden despite finding possible discrepancies in his resume. The Senate has also launched an investigationinto USIS, the government contractor that vetted Snowden in 2011.

"We are limited in what we can say about this investigation because it is an ongoing criminal matter," Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said of the investigation. "But it is a reminder that background investigations can have real consequences for our national security."

According to the latest reports, Snowden has left Hong Kong and is believed to be in Russia. Snowden reportedly did not make a Monday flight to Cuba as planned.

During a Monday conference call with reporters, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Snowden is "safe and healthy," but would not give further details on his whereabouts.

Oklahoma Tornado Reactions: Politicians Respond To Storm's Devastation

A massive tornado touched down near Oklahoma City on Monday, leaving a path of devastation in its wake.

The Associated Press reports:

Television footage shows flattened buildings and fires after a mile-wide tornado moved through the Oklahoma City area.

Video showed homes and buildings in Moore, Okla., were reduced to rubble, and vehicles littered roadways south and southwest of Oklahoma City.

...

The suburb of Moore, where Monday's damage was concentrated, was hit hard by a tornado in 1999 that included the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface.

Obama: FDA Plan B Decision Leaves Me Feeling 'Very Comfortable'

President Barack Obama extended support on Thursday for the FDA's decision to institute age 15 as the new limit for over-the-counter sales of Plan B.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Mexico, Obama said he finds science to be behind the decision as well.

"I'm very comfortable with the decision they’ve made right now based on solid, scientific evidence," Obama said.

Obama's comments come two days after the FDA lowered the age limit from 17 years old. Still looming in the background is a federal judge's order from early April, mandating the FDA lift age limits altogether.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it was appealing that court decision, drawing backlash from reproductive rights groups. Among the critics was Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women.

"The prevention of unwanted pregnancy, particularly in adolescents, should not be obstructed by politicians," she told the AP.

Kelly Ayotte Confronted Over Background Checks Vote By Erica Lafferty, Newtown Victim's Daughter

Erica Lafferty, the daughter of slain Sandy Hook Elementary School principal Dawn Hochsprung, confronted Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) Tuesday over her vote against expanding background checks for firearm purchases.

"You had mentioned that day you voted, owners of gun stores that the expanded background checks would harm," Lafferty said, during a town hall in Warren, N.H. "I am just wondering why the burden of my mother being gunned down in the halls of her elementary school isn't more important than that."

Ayotte told Lafferty she was sorry for her loss but did not directly answer the question.

"I think that ultimately when we look at what happened in Sandy Hook, I understand that's what drove this whole discussion -- all of us want to make sure that doesn't happen again," she said.

Lafferty stormed out after the exchange, according to NBC News, saying she "had had enough."

Ayotte began her town hall by defending her vote, which took place two weeks ago, reflecting an awareness that her poll numbers had tanked in the aftermath. Ayotte'sapproval rating dropped by a total of 15 points, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling released last week.

"Where we are right now, my focus has been on wanting to improve our current background check system," Ayotte said at the top of her remarks. "Frankly, we have fallen down on actually prosecuting gun crimes and violations of our current background check system."

She emphasized the need to address gaps in the mental health system and take steps to ensure that the mentally ill are unable to obtain firearms.

NBC reported that the discussion of gun control resulted in "a shouting match" between those who supported Ayotte's vote and those who were more critical. One attendee accused Ayotte of regulating the questions she took during the town hall but refusing to regulate guns.

Much of the debate from both sides of the issue over the past week has centered around Ayotte's vote. Pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation ran radio ads commending her for protecting the rights of gun owners, while Americans for Responsible Solutions, the super PAC founded by Tucson shooting survivor and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.),ran its own radio ads criticizing her for voting against a measure that had the support of 90 percent of Americans. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has also announced its plans to go after Ayotte over her vote.

Ayotte isn't the only senator to take heat for her role in defeating the background check amendment. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) addressed the backlash on Monday, as he and other senators also saw their approval ratings tumble.

Obama's 'Muslim Socialist' Joke Draws Big Laughs (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama slid in a shoutout during his 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner speech to conspiracists who wonder about both his religion and economic preferences.
"These days, I look in the mirror and I have to admit," Obama said. "I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist I used to be."
Past polls have seen large chunks of Americans incorrectly identify the Christian Obama as a Muslim. During the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign, a May PPP survey found that 52 percent of 656 likely GOP primary voters classified the president under that religion.
Since his reelection in November 2012, a host of conservative voices have referred to Obama as a socialist. Back in March, GOP strategist Henry Barbour told the hill that "we've got a socialist in office right now." Earlier in December, televangelist Pat Robertson accused Obama of not admitting to his "socialist" ways that is destroying free enterprise in America. Within the same month, Sarah Palin used the same term, warning that America's debt is putting the country on a path to communism.