Intelligence Head Gets Saudi Lawsuit Tossed to Protect State Secrets

[Celerity]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/director-of-national-intelligence-avril-haines-gets-saudi-lawsuit-tossed-to-protect-state-secrets



A judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a case against a former Saudi intelligence official after the U.S. Director of National Intelligence stepped in and suggested the case would reveal sensitive U.S. intelligence information and would damage national security.

The case—brought by a company owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which belongs to Saudi Arabia and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)—centers around a dispute between the company, Sakab, and a former Saudi counterterrorism official, Saad Aljabri.

Aljabri was a key ally to the U.S. in its fight to root out terrorists and thwart al Qaeda attacks. In one case, Aljabri helped foil a 2010 al Qaeda plot in which terrorists hid bombs in desktop printers stowed away in cargo on planes with destinations in the United States, Michael Morell, the former acting director of the CIA, told 60 Minutes in October. Aljabri, who has previously supported a rival of MBS, has previously accused the Saudi prince of plotting to murder him.

The director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, intervened earlier this year, suggesting that if the case were to proceed without restrictions state secrets could come out. The U.S. government said the case could lead to “the disclosure of information that could reasonably be expected to damage the national security of the United States." The nature of the state secrets Haines wants to keep classified is unclear, as additional filings detailing the government’s concerns are not public.

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[Orrex]

1. I'm going to go on a crime spree and claim that prosecution would threaten national security

[BlueJac]

2. Why not.

I am sick of this lame excuse that has been used my entire life.