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 But I guess my question is, Fielding and Bagnal both knew about the information; you're positive they didn't leak it or take it --
MS. PERINO: Correct.
Q -- or take it further than the DNI's office?
MS. PERINO: We asked that the company contact NCTC directly and get that information to them directly.
Q So they didn't contact NCTC, the SITE company did. Who did Fielding and Bagnal contact? DNI?
MS. PERINO: I would check on that. I know that they asked for the company that called to contact NCTC directly. I don't know who else they might have called within our government -- possibly the DNI's counsel's office. But I'm not positive. I can check.
Q My question is, you're saying they contacted these other places. The company asked them not to. So how do you know that the leak didn't come --
MS. PERINO: No, no, we asked --
Q -- from Fielding or --
MS. PERINO: Because I've talked to Fred.
Q Okay, that's my question.
MS. PERINO: I have talked to Fred. And what we do is we ask -- the call comes in from the company, and then Fred said, we'd like for the federal government to be able to look at this, thank you, but don't send it to me, send it directly to the NCTC -- the National Center for Counterterrorism -- which was what was -- taken place here.
No comments:
Post a Comment