"Traitor" Cleared

From TPMmuckraker:

Remember Larry Hanauer, the Democratic aide on the House Intelligence Committee whose clearance was yanked because he was suspected of leaking the Iraq NIE?

House Intel Chairman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) probably hopes you don't, because, as Roll Call reports (sub. req.), Hanauer's access to classified info has been quietly reinstated, "essentially clearing the aide of accusations that he leaked a sensitive report on the Iraq War to The New York Times."

Hoekstra had stripped Hanauer of his access based on remarkably thin evidence -- that Hanauer requested a copy of the Iraq National Intelligence Estimate shortly before the Times reported on the NIE's findings. Nevermind that the Times piece clearly stated that details of the report came from a number of intelligence professionals, with whom the reporters had been speaking for weeks. In fact, as Rep. Ray Lahood (R-IL) admitted, Hanauer was demoted as payback for the Democrats having released, over Hoekstra's objections, a report on Duke Cunningham's dirty doings.

Now Hanauer's been officially (and suddenly) cleared, it seems.

Now, if you remember, when Hoekstra stripped Hanauer of his security clearance, virtually the entire rightwing blogosphere immediately jumped all over the poor guy, accusing him of being a traitor and much worse. If you want to take a stroll down memory lane, this post offers links to the reactions of most of the major right-wing bloggers. The best reaction was probably from AJ Strata, who wrote:

This illustrates to what lengths the Democrats will go to try and get power. Their obsession with power has allowed them to rationalize breaking critical national security laws and tipping our hands to our enemies, all so they can cripple this President and win elections. This is much more serious than sick emails to a Page. This kind of activity that over the past year has tipped off our enemies on how to avoid detection, even making the leaked intel information fodder for terrorist handbooks. This can kill people by helping terrorists get past our defenses (the same defenses Dems want dismantled if they win control of Congress).

It's really not funny, though. Other bloggers went even further, digging up all sorts of information on Hanauer and even posting his personal contact information. TMP posts a statement from Hanauer's lawyer:

We are grateful that this long nightmare for Larry and his family is now over. It is regrettable that it took this long given the total absence of any evidence linking Larry to the New York Times articles. As we stated at the outset of this controversy, Larry was not and could not have been the source for the New York Times story.

As a result of his name and private telephone number being leaked to the media, Larry has now been the subject of horrible and reprehensible threats.

I hope that the total vindication of Larry will now restore his good name and standing as a professional staff member.

It looks like Pete "we found the WMD" Hoekstra just wanted to score some petty political points and create a distraction, so he dragged an innocent man's name through the mud. What a jerk. Perhaps Hoekstra's security clearance should be yanked for abusing his authority as committee chairman. Thank goodness these clowns will soon be in the minority.