Dr. Sebastian Gorka (Military Affairs Fellow and Director, National Security Fellows Program, Foundation for Defense of Democracies) addressed the Canter for Security Policy’s Stanton Group on Capitol Hill. The topic of his briefing was “Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence in the Second Obama Administration: Persistence of Threat Denial?”
By Ken Blackwell and Bob Morrison
When President Obama met Saudi King Abdullah in London in 2009, the former bowed low before the latter. No American president had ever so abased himself before one of the world’s most oppressive rulers before.
Now, Mr. Obama has nominated John Brennan to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Signals Intelligence, or sigint, is the science of interpreting signals sent by enemies of the United States. With his Arabic-language skills, John Brennan ought to be good at interpreting signals.
He’s very good at sending them. When he spoke of Jerusalem — his “most loved city in the world” — he referred to it first by its Arabic name, al Quds. Nobody refers to Jerusalem as al Quds unless he wants to send a signal: “I agree with you.”
Every Arabic-speaking country denies the right of Israel to exist. Every one yearns to see Jerusalem swept free of Jews and called al Quds. When the Jordanians controlled East Jerusalem (1949-1967), they banned all the Jews from living there and from visiting Jewish holy places there. They even desecrated thousand-year-old graves in Jewish cemeteries there.
That’s what is meant by al Quds. When you say you love this city more than any other and give it its Arabic name, you are sending the most terrible message. You are feeding into the Arab narrative that calls the establishment of the Jewish state Nakba – the Day of Catastrophe.
Read more at American Thinker
Jihad Watch:
John Guandolo is the former FBI agent who broke the story that Obama’s nominee for CIA director, John Brennan, converted to Islam while in Saudi Arabia — which would explain why he is so hospitable to the Muslim Brotherhood. Last Wednesday on my ABN show, I interviewed John Guandolo.
Yesterday Sean Hannity interviewed on his radio show Jack Murphy and Brandon Webb for their new book Benghazi: The Definitive Report. I’ve clipped a portion of their interview below which describes something very different than what we’ve ever heard about what led to the attack on the ‘consulate’ and the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods.
In short there were two operations going on in Benghazi, neither of which Stevens nor the CIA [Petraeus] were made aware, that made the situation on the ground in Benghazi far more dangerous than they even knew. We already know that Stevens was concerned about security, but he didn’t even know the full story.
One of the operations was direct raids against Al-Qaeda conducted by John Brennan, Deputy National Security Advisor, that instigated blowback in the form of the attack on our ‘consulate’ in Benghazi where Stevens visited that night. But because Stevens wasn’t made aware of these unilateral raids going on in his backyard, there was no way he could have even prepared himself for blowback. Stevens likely didn’t even know why he was being attacked the night he was killed.
Read more at The Right Scoop (with audio of the interview)
From Western Journalism:
By Clare Lopez:
Trentovision.tv set off a firestorm of commentary on its February 8, 2013 show when it broke the story about CIA Director nominee John Brennan having converted to Islam while he was the CIA station chief in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
John Guandolo, a former Marine Corps platoon commander and senior FBI expert on the Muslim Brotherhood who retired in 2008, appeared via Skype with radio show host Tom Trento and reported that Brennan had been converted to Islam in a process observed by more than one U.S. official at the Riyadh Embassy that ought to have raised counterintelligence questions—but apparently didn’t.
The important take away from this startling account is actually less about a conversion/recruitment, though, and more about how Saudi and Muslim Brotherhood conditioning about Islam may have shaped Brennan’s thinking and understanding about Islam in a way that made him the perfect (even if unwitting) agent of influence whose subsequent rise within U.S. national security ranks placed him in key positions from which to direct U.S. policy on Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Much more at Radical Islam
Clare Lopez is a senior fellow at RadicalIslam.org and a strategic policy and intelligence expert with a focus on the Middle East, national defense and counterterrorism. Lopez served for 20 years as an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
By Michele Bachmann:Brennan’s misunderstanding of the global jihadist threat facing America was on display during a February 2010 speech at New York University. Outlining his understanding of the War on Terror, Brennan claimed it wasn’t a war on terror at all, but a war targeted exclusively at Al-Qaeda:
They are not jihadists, for jihad is a holy struggle, an effort to purify for a legitimate purpose, and there is nothing — absolutely nothing — holy or pure or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children. We are not waging a war against terrorism because terrorism is but a tactic that will never be defeated, any more than a tactics of war will. Rather, such thinking is a recipe for endless conflict…We are at war with Al Qaeda and its extremist allies, and any comment to the contrary is just inaccurate.
But the exclusive focus on Al-Qaeda as the sole enemy was rejected by none other than former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the testimony she gave to the Senate Armed Service Committee just a few weeks ago, where she warned of a “spreading jihadist threat” in North Africa, one that is growing into a “global movement.”
So it seems that Brennan’s views are extreme even within the senior levels of the Obama administration.
Brennan said as a matter of national policy we needed to reach out to the ‘moderates’ in the Hezbollah terrorist organization, a view he apparently has held for a while as evidenced by a 2006 CSPAN interview where he said that “you can’t divide the world into good and evil.” “Moderate” terrorists?
It bears mentioning that prior to 9/11, Hezbollah had killed more Americans than any other terrorist group in the world, not only the 238 Americans killed in the 1983 suicide bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut, but the kidnapping and death of U.S. Embassy CIA Station Chief William Buckley.
Read more at Breitbart
By John Guandolo:
In the aftermath of my interview on the Tom Trento show last week, some in the media seem unable or unwilling to grasp some basic facts about the threat environment in America these days. In response to numerous omissions in the dozens of stories covering my interview stating that John Brennan is “Unfit” to be the next Director of Central Intelligence, please allow me to share facts and evidence with you about our threat landscape.
The largest terrorism financing and Hamas trial in U.S. history was U.S. v Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), which was adjudicated in 2008 in Dallas, Texas. HLF and its leadership were found guilty of funneling over $12 million directly to Hamas. At the time it was indicted, HLF was the largest Islamic charity in America. A great deal of evidence entered into the HLF trial came from material uncovered during an FBI raid in Annandale, VA in 2004 where the archives of the Muslim Brotherhood in North America were discovered. These strategic documents, financial documents, audio/video tapes, photos and the like revealed the Muslim Brotherhood’s strategies, plans, tactics, organizations, and leadership in America. Evidence revealed the very first Islamic organization formed in America – the Muslim Students Association (MSA) – was formed in 1963 by the Muslim Brotherhood. Today, there are over 600 MSA chapters across the U.S. From the MSA, the largest and most prominent Islamic organizations in the U.S. were created by the Muslim Brotherhood including the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) and others. NAIT holds the title/deeds to many of the Islamic Centers in America today. Hamas is a Muslim Brotherhood (MB) organization, and wherever the MB exists, like in the U.S., the Special Section is always present. The Special Section is the unit within the MB which conducts military operations – what we call “terrorism.”
Read more at Understanding The Threat
by John Guandolo:
Amid the Administration’s rush to: apologize for and disregard America’s founding principles; financially and militarily support America’s enemies like Hamas and other Muslim Brotherhood entities (read “Egypt”); embrace noxious regimes like Iran; handle the assassination of the U.S. Ambassador in Benghazi in Carteresque fashion; shrink America’s nuclear capabilities as well as the fighting forces of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps; and host terrorists in the White House while simultaneously allowing known Hamas/Muslim Brotherhood operatives to serve inside DHS, it should be no surprise to readers that President Obama has nominated a John Brennan to be the next Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). Mr. Brennan’s inability to discern friend from foe, his ignorance of our enemies, and his shadowy behavior make him unfit for government service in any national security capacity, specifically as Director of Central Intelligence.
As the senior advisor to the President of the United States for Counterterrorism, John Brennan has maintained close relationships with Islamic organizations in America which operate on behalf of terrorist organizations. Senior Hamas operatives, such as Nihad Awad of the Hamas entity the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and leaders of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood (See Fear the Muslim Brotherhood by Andrew C. McCarthy) have been given access to senior National Security staffs and provided input to U.S. counterterrorism strategies for the White House at the direction of John Brennan.
Mr. Brennan does not keep his support of the Muslim Brotherhood quiet. He has spoken publicly on numerous occasions at Muslim Brotherhood events in his official government capacity. As a matter of record, he has been a keynote speaker at a number of conferences and functions applauding the efforts of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and its leadership:
Evidence presented in a federal court in the largest terrorism financing and Hamas trial in U.S. history (US v HLFRD, Dallas 2008), and upheld by the appellate court, revealed the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is a Muslim Brotherhood organization and a financial support entity for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. Despite this, Mr. Brennan continues to work with ISNA, gives its leaders access to senior government officials, and supports their appointment to key positions inside the U.S. Intelligence Community. The current President of ISNA, Imam Mohamed Magid, sits on the Homeland Security Advisory Committee, which reports directly to Secretary Napolitano. With the support of John Brennan, Imam Magid works with the National Security Council which has publicly applauded this Hamas supporter (Magid) in official government functions. See The Muslim Brotherhood in America: Deputy National Security Advisor McDonough Meets with Hamas Support Entity.
This past summer, Members of Congress led by Congresswoman Bachmann sent letters to the senior Inspectors General in the United States (Department of Justice, Department of Defense, etc.) requesting they investigate the Muslim Brotherhood’s penetration of the United States government. When asked about the Congressional request, Mr. Brennan laughed and acted as if the request was absurd despite the mountain of evidence of the Muslim Brotherhood’s penetration at the Pentagon, FBI, White House, DHS, CIA, and other key government agencies. Mr. Brennan literally laughed. This reveals his gross ignorance of the problem or that he intends to do nothing about it. He is either ignorant beyond all reasonable belief or grossly (and I argue criminally) negligent.
Mr. Brennan also appears to be ignorant on basic matters concerning Al Qaeda and their global strategy aimed at bringing down the West. Because Mr. Brennan believes Al Qaeda is our primary enemy, he should be well versed in these matters, especially since he worked as an analyst for the CIA, as the head of the Counter Terrorism Center, and as the President’s “Counterterrorism Czar.”
In official press conferences, Brennan has stumbled when asked WHY Al Qaeda does what it does. According him, “Al Qaeda has perverted Islam, and has corrupted the concept of Islam so that they are able to attract these individuals” (e.g. “Underwear Bomber” Abdulmutallab). See video below:
Al Qaeda’s own leaders and strategic documents definitively state Al Qaeda is waging a global war on the West because it is a requirement of Islamic Law (Shariah) to wage Jihad until the world has submitted to Islamic Law (Shariah) and the global Islamic state (Caliphate) is re-established.
Read the rest at Understanding The Threat
by Jack Murphy:
This Tuesday, White House Counter-Terrorism adviser John Brennan will sit down for the closed door classified portion of his confirmation hearing. Brennan brings a lot of baggage to the table and has taken some fire from both the Left and the Right for his support of para-military activities and so-called Enhanced Interrogation Techniques. This last week we’ve seen puff piece after puff piece as our 4th Estate absolutely gushes over John Brennan to pump him up for the confirmation hearings that will determine whether or not he will be the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, filling the void left by General Petraeus’ resignation.
Perhaps it is then a happy coincidence that the ebook I wrote with Brandon Webb about Benghazi is coming out on the same day as Brennan’s classified hearing. The ebook will begin to peel back a few of the layers of secrecy that have thus far protected John Brennan and some very shady activities undertaken by the National Security Council.
The book includes many never before revealed details about the Libyan Civil War and the post-war reconsolidation efforts undertaken by Private Military Companies, the CIA, and Ambassador Chris Stevens. This sets the stage for the situation that led to the attack on the US Consulate (technically a Temporary Mission Facility) in Benghazi. We then tell it like it actually happened that night and detail the heroic actions of Ty Woods and his fellow OGA operators. We will also shatter some myths and misconceptions about denied air support and the resignation of General Petraeus.
Perhaps most damning is the question of why. Why did the attack happen? What got AQIM elements operating under the Ansar Al-Sharia banner so angry that they decided to over run the Consulate? Perhaps events in Egypt and a silly Youtube video helped some of the Sheiks mobilize a large group of extremists but there is more to this situation. Much more. Ambassador Stevens and David Petraeus never could have seen what was coming. They were left in the lurch due to covert operations initiated by the White House, a secret war in North Africa being orchestrated by John Brennan.
Written by the team of former Special Operations warriors who run SOFREP.com, here is the definitive account of what happened before, during, and after the deadly Benghazi attack.
Read more at SOFREP
From The United West:
By Frank Gaffney:
Last week, twenty-five Republican Senators wrote a former member of their caucus and the man President Obama wants to lead the Defense Department a letter demanding full disclosure of his financial dealings. To date, Sen. Chuck Hagel has demonstrated afresh his contempt for the legislature by declining to do so.
To their credit, the Senators, including the GOP leadership and every member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have thrown down the gauntlet. They warned Mr. Hagel: “Your refusal to respond to this reasonable request suggests either a lack of respect for the Senate’sresponsibility to advise and consent or that you are for some reason unwilling to allow this financial disclosure to come to light.” The signers added:
“Until the Committee receives full and complete answers, it cannot in good faith determine wither you should be confirmed as Secretary of Defense.”
It may be that the Hagel appointment has now been effectively checkmated. Should the nominee continue to stonewall, even Democrats – who are under immense pressure to hew to the party line, but were privately appalled by his performance during a confirmation hearing two weeks ago – get a face-saving way to disassociate themselves from this loser.
But Mr. Hagel may have, as a practical matter, no choice but to try to brazen it out. Breitbart.com last week (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/02/07/Hagel-Friends-of-Hamas-WH) quoted Senate sources as saying that among the requested documents on his sources of foreign funding is one listing “a group purportedly called ‘Friends of Hamas.’” At this writing and absent the requested disclosure, it cannot be determined whether Chuck Hagel is literally associated with the “friends” of a designated terrorist organization. But the mere fact that it seems entirely plausible – given the nominee’s record of hostility towards Israel and his affinity for its enemies (including Hamas’ long-time sponsor, Iran), his refusal to make the sort of disclosure expected of all Cabinet appointees should be the last straw for Senate Republicans and Democrats, alike.
Incredibly, President Obama’s candidate to lead the Central Intelligence Agency could reasonably be considered a friend of Hamas, as well. After all, he has been among the Obama appointees to engage with a group called the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). This despite the fact that no fewer than four federal judges have, in connection with the 2008 federal prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation on terrorism financing charges, concurred that CAIR is a Muslim Brotherhood front.
Indeed, in the course of that prosecution, the government established that CAIR had been founded in 1993 for the purpose of providing political and fund-raising support for Hamas. Yet, on John Brennan’s watch as counterterrorism czar for the first term of the Obama presidency, administration officials have, according to one, met “more than 100 times” with representatives of this terrorist organization’s U.S. influence operation.
Read more at Center for Security Policy
