Despite appeals from the Bush Administration as well as several current and former government officials — both Democrat and Republican — the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times decided to break a story today that could have far-reaching effects on America’s War on Terror.
The story concerns a covert intelligence program, the "Swift operation," that enables US intelligence agencies to access and examine the banking transactions of suspected terrorists.
Swift — an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication — forms the epicenter of the global banking industry, and oversees an estimated $6 trillion of inter-bank transfers on a daily basis. The Swift operation, however, does not allow US intelligence officials to gain unfettered access to Swift’s records:
The program is limited . . . to tracing transactions of people suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda. . . . The records mostly involve wire transfers and other methods of moving money overseas and into and out of the United States. Most routine financial transactions confined to this country are not in the database.
The program was put in place shortly after the 9/11 attacks and is viewed as a vital tool for choking off terrorist financing. As the NY Times points out:
The 9/11 hijackers had helped finance their plot by moving money through banks. Nine of the hijackers, for instance, funneled money from Europe and the Middle East to SunTrust bank accounts in Florida. Some of the $130,000 they received was wired by people overseas with known links to Al Qaeda.
Though withheld from the public, knowledge of the banking program was not restricted to the Bush Administration. In fact, the 9/11 commission was apprised of the program as were several members of Congress. In terms of the program’s legality, the undersecretary at the Treasury Department, Stuart Levey, assures that no laws have been broken:
"[The program] has provided us with a unique and powerful window into the operations of terrorist networks and is, without doubt, a legal and proper use of our authorities . . ."
Levey added that multiple safeguards were in place to protect against unwarranted searches of Americans’ records.
In terms of efficacy, the Swift operation is credited for the capture of leading al-Qaeda terrorist, Riduan Isamuddin, or "Hambali." Hambali, is believed to have been the mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombing, which claimed the lives of 202 people while injuring hundreds more.
More importantly, the Swift operation has been especially useful for identifying terrorists and terrorist cells within the United States. The program led to the capture and successful prosecution of Uzair Paracha, a Pakistani national, who laundered $200,000 for an al-Qaeda operative in his home country.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Q Bit
Hypothetically speaking:
If this administration stays in power for the next 10 years USA will be the next USSR - a police state.
In reality:
NY and LA Times did a great service to the country because that's the right thing to do.
The administration points the terrorist gun on our head and think they can get away with any damn thing.
The right wings have no idea what they talk about - or what they care about - because the only thing they do care about is absolute power--in any form, shape or kind and anywhere, be it domestic, be it global.
2 - Sean Aqui
And the Wall Street Journal reported it, too. Why don't they get some hate?
3 - ian_ra_fin
^^"His political views cannot be explained with a conservative or liberal label, as he often floats between the two."
That's funny becuase I paid a visit to his site that is one big, happy bash of all things democratic, be it the Democratic party or anything he considers "un-American."
If ths is the best this site can do for unbiased opinions then you are just as much a joke as he is.
4 - gonzo marx
Sean sez...
*And the Wall Street Journal reported it, too. Why don't they get some hate?*
because the Administration and their Owners consider the WSJ their real "bible"?
and they consider any other Media outlet that disagrees with them the Enemy...because they cannot control it
c'mon kiddies...classic Rove since he got off from being Prosecuted...look at each days headlines, then consider how much of those can easily be timed by use of Admin power
example: the arrests in Miami yesterday, so Gonzalez could do the press conferencr today
why yesterday for the bust?...why not weeks ago, when the fake al Qaeda operative ( the FBI agent) fist laid out the entrapment to catch these sick bastards...
as soon as they said they were going to commit a terrorist act, there was enough to bust them on the conspiracy charges...and that was quite a while ago, by all accounts
so why yesterday?
possibly to control the headlines fo rthe weekend? which was ruined by the Story reported in this Article?
mebbe i'm just paranoid...but it all fits the Pattern of how the WH political machine has worked since inception
your mileage may vary
Excelsior?
5 - Dr Politico
Sean,
"And the Wall Street Journal reported it, too. Why don't they get some hate?"
The Administration confronted the NY Times and LA Times directly, from my understanding of the story. They never approached the WSJ, as the other two papers already rejected his calls. The WSJ confirms that they were never asked to bury the story.
6 - gonzo marx
excellent bit of info , Dr. P
thanks for sharing it...
now the Question is...why didn't the Admin try and do the same stifle of the WSJ that they attempted with the other newspapers?
Excelsior?
7 - An average American
This may well be a very important tool in the war on terror, but if government surveilance is not subject to the review and rule of law (that means, get a court order) then we will find ourselves ruled by tyrants.
Our republic was designed with a balance of power so that no one, liberal or conservative, could steer us aground on their own. The publicity around this is a great service to America.
8 - troll
(I haven't read the comments here - only the post - so sorry if this is a repeat question)
why is this news - ?
didn't the administration say that it was doing/going to do just this all the way back in 2001 - ?
SWIFT is nothing new nor do I believe is government access to its data
troll
9 - Kenny H.
The Bush administration is likely in violation of the U.S. Constitution. These programs SHOULD BE EXPOSED. Danger of releasing state secrets is the same argument made in the Pentagon Papers case, and the person who put forth that claim later admitted there was no such danger, they were just trying to prevent the release of embarrassing material. Let's not throw away the Constitution in the name of protecting the United States. If we lose the Constitution what we remains will be just a shell of what the Founding Fathers envisioned.
10 - Kenny H.
"In the First Amendment, the Government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the government. Far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly." New York Times v. U.S. (Pentagon Papers case).
11 - troll
methinks they protest too much and the fact that this has been publicized will have little impact other than inspiring some folks to move their money in alternative ('surveillable') ways
if there were actually private way to move significant funds they would be sop already
troll
12 - Cindy
This is a call to all Americans. We are at the brink of a CIVIL WAR. The media has been suppressed. Please go to www.immigrationwatchdog.com Please review that site extensively. Also, it is important to watch the Paul Revere Ride video in which we announce possible civil war. Please tell your friends and everyone you meet about this site. Thank you
God bless us and God bless America!
13 - Howard Dratch
May there be a lifetime of such "disservices" committed by the guardians of freedom -- the press, the media, bloggers, writers and all those others who think that truth should see the light of day even when the government thinks that secrecy is needed.
Secrecy, happily, is still needed when the Constitution is being trampled.
14 - Jet in Columbus
Bush is bound and determined to undermine the constitutional system of checks and balances in this country.
As he tries to grab more and more power for the executive branch, anyone who opposes him are revisionist unelected judges, the liberal press, or just plain unpatriotic "evildoers".
Taken as a whole his actions against the american people is definately a impeachable offense, but he's being smart about it and eroding our freedoms in tiny steps.
Critisizing him is like asking someone which one of those 100 little pieces of tape on your arm bothers you the most.
one at a time they're insignificant, taken together they're important.
15 - JP
Sorry, guy - the Bush administration has gone far beyond reasonable secrecy with its policies in the name of "terror," and is now suffering the unavoidable result. I'd even go so far as to say I can't blame the BBC for suggesting the arrests made in Miami last night were blown way out of proportion compared to their actual seriousness. It's hard to trust what these guys say anymore.
This "national security" defense is a sham, and everybody has figured it out. Sorry.
16 - Clavos
Whar REALLY makes the administration look inept is the fact that the NY and LA newspapers found out about it.
Any Latin American administration worth its stuffed ballot boxes would NEVER let the local papers get even a whiff of anything they wanted to keep secret.
Hell, even the Latino pols here in Miami can do that!
Gringo pols can't even trample the people's rights efficiently.
¡Pendejos!
17 - Arch Conservative
regarding the wsj nyt and lat............i think the operative word is "broke" the story..........
if the nyt times leaked it before anyone else then there is no blame to be had or scorn by anyone who reported it aftert hey already had
18 - JP
The Times reports Cheney said about the revelations: "That offends me."
Best news all day.
19 - Joey
Who passed the info to the press?
Another government yahoo... not unlike the dork who took the laptop home with all the Veteran's SSN's on it.
20 - Eliot
Ask yourself this: what is left to secure and how is this government different than any other group of thugs? In the name of national security, this government has secretly tortured people, held them without ANY form of a hearing, and spied on Americans while at the same time leaking the name of Valarie Plame, the wife of a political enemy. But that's okay because President Bush authorized such a leak?
Aren't we supposed to be a nation of laws and not men? The basic precept of our constitution is the balance of powers. A Republican Congress and a weak willed court have hitched their ride to King George whose madness is plain to see, and so there is no balance. Our freedoms and our right to privacy, as a result, have been trampled.
Thank goodness there are brave people to expose the shameful destruction of a document I'm quite sure you would never have voted for: the Bill of Rights.
21 - juco
How refreshing to see some intelligent clarity in the comments posted here. This in sharp contrast to the postings in American newspapers, the majority of opinions seeming to support their governments policies in 'keeping them safe'. But I am not dispaired, not when there are still people out there ( I mean the US) willing to inform their fellow citizens of truths. Well done NYT / LAT.
Thank God I live in Europe, I appreciate my freedom.
ps. I cannot recall an instance during any financial transaction reading a disclaimer that the American government and the CIA are looking over my shoulder and are privy to my person. Did I ever ask for you to be my shepherd, policeman or some sort of a white knight? Thought not.
22 - Dr Politico
juco,
"ps. I cannot recall an instance during any financial transaction reading a disclaimer that the American government and the CIA are looking over my shoulder and are privy to my person."
That's because they weren't.
"Thank God I live in Europe"
I am equally pleased.
23 - Dave Nalle
If this administration stays in power for the next 10 years USA will be the next USSR - a police state.
What are you smoking, Q Bit? This administration's term is up in 2008. That's it, that's all she wrote.
Thank God I live in Europe, I appreciate my freedom.
I imagine you appreciate it more when you have so little of it left.
Dave
24 - JustOneMan
hey arch...let me translate most of the Bush hating drivel posted in here...
"Lions and tigers and bears...oh my.."
Jerko...If you are noy sending money to some Muslin terrorist you have nothing to worry about...but if you are...maybe you should be worried..
PS Thank God you do live in Europe...
25 - Joe
This is obviously the work of a right wing nut job.