White House: No classified bin Laden info shared for movie

Following complaints from a Republican congressman, the White House today insisted it's not sharing with a movie director any classified information regarding the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.

Republican Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for an investigation today into reports that President Obama's administration has granted filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow inappropriate access to information on the bin Laden raid. He sent a letter to Defense Department Inspector General Gordon Heddell and CIA Inspector General David Buckley in response to reporting from New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd that Bigelow has been "getting top-level access to the most classified mission in history."

"The administration's first duty in declassifying material is to provide full reporting to Congress and the American people, in an effort to build public trust through transparency of government," King wrote in the letter. "In contrast, this alleged collaboration belies a desire of transparency in favor of a cinematographic view of history."

Dowd reported that Bigelow, known for her Oscar-winning film "The Hurt Locker," was planning on releasing the Sony-produced film on the bin Laden raid on Oct. 12, 2012 -- just ahead of the 2012 elections.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters today that the idea that the administration was inappropriately sharing top-level information was "ridiculous."

When people in the media are working on content that involves the president, Carney said, "we do our best to accommodate them to make sure that facts are correct."

"We do not discuss classified information," Carney continued. "And I would hope that as we face the continued threat from terrorism, the House Committee on Homeland Security would have more important topics to discuss than a movie. The information that this White House provided about that mission has been focused on the president's role and there is not difference in the information that we've given to anybody who's working on this topic from what we gave to those of you in this room who worked on it in the days and weeks after the raid itself."

Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, told the Wall Street Journal that the Defense Department was providing assistance to Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal but that no classified information would be provided to the filmmakers.

"It is the violation of the law to provide classified information" to people not cleared to receive it, Lapan said.

[cbsnacilbuper]

I wonder if in the film you will have someone in the admin spill the beans about Seal Team 6 and then show some of their members being shot down in Afganistan?

Our Military should not be used by anyone for political gain.

[cbsnacilbuper]

Well, it is "Transparent" that Sony who "hosted a fundraiser for Barack Obama on their studio's premises in California last April" is going to release this file. And that the White House "Hopes" that it will "Change" the minds of Americans to once again be fooled into voting for Obama.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice....

[cbsnacilbuper]

Funny, brian hates the Tea Party.

Only in America can a liberal hate some one who feels you should spend less than you make.

Now, who should you listen to?

Brian, we need to keep spending more than we make, or the Tea Party where we live responsibly.

[willywaynestarley11]

They are making a movie about obama's role in the Bin Laden operation and there are only two comments on here. This speaks volumes about the political affiliations of the cbs readership.

The left love them some OBAMA.

[michaelz06]

This movie's planned release date of 10/12 is clearly a poor political ploy by liberals to bolster Obama's status just prior to the election. Given that the real credit lies elsewhere, it is unlikely to do much good.

[michaelz06]

No Brian I would not, nor am I either a bagger or "maroon". But the search for Bin Laden preceded Obama's time in office, all the work and effort that went into finding him was done by intelligence agencies and military personnel. All Obama did was give a final ok...something that I think anyone in that office at this time would do....so why do liberal idiots such as yourself think he is entitled to more? Besides, your misguided and inaccurate personal attack attempts to obfuscate the real point, which is that the administration's nurturing of, and the timing of release of, the movie is politically motivated. I would ascribe that to deliberate intent, but you do not appear to have the intellectual capacity for that maneuver. Next time, I suggest presenting an intelligent argument rather than merely spewing that same tired attack cliche. One does not have to be a Tea bagger or even a Republican to see that Obama is a failure.

[michaelz06]

Rafterman, you make a valid comment. Based on some of the things that Carter did and didn't do while I was in the military, my statement that any president would have done what Obama did is rightfully called out as an assumption. Obama did do the right thing in how he authorized the raid. What I have a problem with is how he has acted since on the topic, somewhat "grandstanding" on taking all the credit. Of course, based on "Mission Accomplished", so would have Bush. But none of that changes my initial comment, that the timing and support for this movie is political in nature, and unlikely to bolster his stock much in the face of all the other issues.