Ex-VCJCS Guilty of Felony - Lied to FBI
Even a 4-star general faces the consequences after making false statements to the FBI investigators. General Cartwright, USMC (Ret) must not have had the same level of top cover political protection as some other high level State Department officials? See the short news article below. The rule of law is important and there are real dangers of living in a world like that described by George Orwell in Animal Farm, “All the animals were equal but some were more equal than others?”
Ex-Joint Chiefs vice chairman charged with lying in Stuxnet leak investigation
By Connor O’Brien and Josh Gerstein
10/17/16
Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/retired-general-charged-in-probe-of-classified-information-disclosure-229891#ixzz4NMfVNWlt
Retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright, the former Joint Chiefs vice chairman, has been charged with making false statements in an investigation into the leaking of classified information about Iran's nuclear program.
Cartwright, who also led the U.S. Strategic Command and was known to have a close relationship with President Barack Obama, was the subject of a federal investigation into the leaking of details of a reported joint U.S.-Israeli cyberattack targeting Iran's nuclear program.
The charge involves testimony he gave investigators about information obtained by New York Times reporter David Sanger, as well as another journalist, Daniel Klaidman.
"After investigators showed Cartwright a list of quotes and statements from David Sanger's book, a number of which contained classified information, Cartwright falsely told investigators that he was not the source of any quotes and statements," according to a court filing. "Cartwright also falsely told investigators that he did not provide or confirm information to David Sanger."
It added: "Cartwright falsely told investigators that he never discussed Country 1 with Daniel Klaidman when in truth Cartwright had confirmed certain classified information relating to Country 1 in an email he sent to Daniel Klaidman."
Cartwright, who retired in 2011 and was stripped of his security clearance in 2013, is expected to offer a guilty plea to the single felony charge at a hearing set for 3 p.m. Monday before U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon in Washington. He has entered into a plea deal with prosecutors, but the details of the agreement were not immediately released…
The charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. If he had been charged with the actual leaking of classified information he could have faced up to 10 years in prison.