This is not good.
While much of this story has been out for nearly a month (see links below), ABC News has been investigating a possible White House angle. That part of the story is breaking for the first time today.
ABC News: Espionage Case Breaches the White House
Matt Drudge: FBI CHARGES MARINE WITH STEALING DOCUMENTS AND GIVING THEM TO PHILIPPINES… WORKED FOR CHENEY; WORKED IN WHITE HOUSE FOR 3 YEARS… TOP SECRET CLEARANCE; STOLE FROM WHITE HOUSE COMPUTERS… 100+ DOCUMENTS…
Undetected for 3 years? Can you even imagine how much damage could be done in that amount of time?
In 2000, Leandro Aragoncillo worked as a staff member of then-Vice President Al Gore. When interviewed by Philippine television, Aragoncillo remarked how valued Philippine employees were at the White House.
Classified Material Transferred by E-Mail – Officials say the classified material, stolen from the vice president’s office, included damaging dossiers on the president of the Philippines. The suspect then passed those on to opposition politicians planning a coup in the Pacific nation.
I’m wondering if any other secrets were compromised beyond the dossiers mentioned above. Could this spy be working with yet another government?
United States District Court (NJ) Criminal Complaint (PDF)
Background – Leandro Aragoncillo, 46
Home: Woodbury, NJ
Birthplace: Philippines, came to US in 1984
Citizenship: US, in 1991
Family: Wife and two children
Occupation: FBI Intelligence Analyst
Hired July 2004, suspended 12 Sept 2005
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Retired US Marine with 21 years service, 1983-2004. Gunnery Sergeant. Stationed in Japan, Guantanamo Bay, Quantico, VA, Assignment to the White House between 1999 and 2002 as “administration chief” of the security detail assigned to Vice President Cheney.
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Six Good Conduct Medals and a Humanitarian Service Medal
Arrested: Saturday, 10 September 2005
Charges
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Knowingly communicating classified information by a government employee to an agent or representative of a foreign country (i.e. receiving classified information).
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Acting as an agent of a foreign official without notification of the Attorney General in violation of Title 18 of the US Code, Section 951
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Unauthorized use of a government computer to obtain and transmit classified information
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Conspiracy to commit all of the above offenses in violation of Title 18 of the US Code Section 371.
Dates of Spying: January 2005 to August 2005
Possible Motivations: $500,000 in debts, mostly mortgages on rental properties
— FBI Probes Ex-Marine on Classified Info (10/06/05)
Others: John Marzan | James Joyner | Ed Morrissey | Wretchard | Juliette Ochieng | Tom Elko | Joe Gandelman |
Earlier: Philippine News.com | CI Centre | Manila Standard Today | INQ7 | Malaya | PCIJ Blog | Boston.com | WIRED | STAR – Washington Bureau | USAToday | TheRealityCheck.org | ABS CBN Interactive | The Manila Times | 9/12/05 ABC News Story | 9/12/05 US Dept. of Justice News Release |
I believe the key is that he was giving these documents to Philippino opposition to Arroyo’s government, and that these documents pose little threat to US security. (Link to Tom’s site posted above -ed.)
Spy in the White House (VIDEO)
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I googled him and found some of the same information as you. I also found a picture of him at a 2003 Let Freedom Ring ceremony and found that Carlo Aragoncillo, son of Leandro, got a $1,500 scholarship from the scholarships for military children. Nice.
No doubt he has been spying or plotting to for more time than he has admitted.
ESPIONAGE IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Drudge is headlining an ABC News story on a deeply disturbing espionage case at the White House involving a naturalized American of Filipino descent who worked for Vice President Dick Cheney (and also Al Gore). Both the FBI and CIA…
ABC: Espionage Case Breaches the White House
A Hat Tip to Karen Zipdrive at Pulp Friction:
Another black eye for the Clinton Administration.
I think the indictment will be thrown out if it is as posted on here. No way he worked for VP Chaney from 1999 through 2002. Chaney only became VP in Jan. 2001. I’m old but still remember things like that. He’s still a spy, but someone has their head up their butt on this. Again..
Reviewed actual AP release and copy of Criminal Complaint (via michellemalkin.com.) The last year that Leandro Aragoncillo worked in the White House was 2001 and the complaint says that the date of spying was September 2004 to September 12, 2005 while working as an FBI Analyst. Can someone explain to me how this equates to spying in the White House?
Leandro Aragoncillo, Spy
Breaking news: A naturalized Filipino FBI Intelligence Analyst working in the White House has been charged with espionage.
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The spy in the White House story underscores, yet again, how inept this administrations is. From the first day Mr. Bush entered the White House, it should have been his first priority to expunge every Clintonoid from his administration, no matter how seemingly insignificant the post. Didn’t this country suffer enough on 9-11 as a result of monumental intelligence failures due to an incompetent Clinton CIA led by George Tenet (held on by Bush)? Our country’s foolish airport security policy, requiring old ladies to undergo the riggers of methodical shoe searches so as not to offend young Middle Eastern men, is the brain(less) child of Clinton’s Transpiration Secretary, and holdover, Norman Mineta. It’s time for Mr. Bush to clean house, and it’s way overdue.
–SL
The media is ultimately killing the democratic party by jumping so fast on a hot story that the public is finally waitng to hear all sides before makeing up their mind. I too thought the port story was a block buster mistake. But the more I hear and read it starts to make sense. This is not that unusual for another country to manage a US port we now learn and the impact on world diplomacy turns out to be the real story. Do we trust our allies or not?
Interested in current events and hot topics is looks like the President stepped in again as his handlers failed to measure the impact of Port Gate. Read more and post your comments at the Topics Plus site: http://wwww.topicsplus.com