By Alan Bjerga Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) — John Brennan , President Barack Obama ’s counterterrorism adviser, said Republican congressional leaders learned on Christmas night about the interrogation of terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , and called subsequent criticism “a bit of an outcry after the fact.” “I’m just very concerned on behalf of the counterterrorism professionals throughout our government that politicians continue to make this a political football and are using it for whatever political or partisan purposes,” Brennan said yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader John Boehner were among senior members of Congress that Brennan said he called after Abdulmutallab was arrested that day on suspicion of trying to detonate explosives as Northwest Airlines Flight 253 approached Detroit carrying 279 passengers and 11 crew members. “None of those individuals raised any concerns with me at that point,” Brennan said. McConnell is among Republicans who have said Abdulmutallab should be tried in the military-justice system rather than civilian U.S. courts, where the 23-year-old Nigerian man was provided access to a lawyer. Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri and Representative Pete Hoekstra of Michigan also were briefed after the arrest, Brennan said. Hoekstra, the House Intelligence Committee’s senior Republican, called Brennan’s statements “absolutely outrageous.” Brennan “called and gave me a brief update as to what was going on,” Hoekstra said in a telephone interview. “He didn’t get into, ‘Here’s our legal strategy of how we’re going to treat them.’” Miranda Warning The White House adviser said he told lawmakers that Abdulmutallab “was in FBI custody,” and said they were aware that meant that the suspect was given a so-called Miranda warning advising him of the right to a lawyer. Bond said Brennan “never told me of any plans to Mirandize the Christmas day bomber.” If he had, Bond said in an e-mail statement, “I would have told him the administration was making a mistake.” Abdulmutallab pleaded not guilty on Jan. 8 to six charges including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder and trying to wreck an aircraft. Brennan said Republicans and Democrats both have tried to use terrorism for political advantage. U.S. counterterrorism officers “deserve the support of our Congress” instead of “second-guessing what they’re doing,” Brennan said. Brennan rebutted a charge that the Obama administration may have leaked classified information last week that Abdulmutallab was cooperating with FBI agents, saying reporters were given some details only after the information had already been reported by some news organizations. To contact the reporter on this story: Alan Bjerga in Washington at abjerga@bloomberg.net
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Christmas Bombing Suspect Shouldn’t Be `Political Football,’ Brennan Says
