Dr. Nadil Hasan's Treason

"A senior government official tells ABC News that investigators have found that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan had 'more unexplained connections to people being tracked by the FBI' than just radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki. The official declined to name the individuals but Congressional sources said their names and countries of origin were likely to emerge soon.

Questions already surround Major Hasan's contact with Awlaki, a radical cleric based in Yemen whom authorities consider a recruiter for al Qaeda. U.S. officials now confirm Hasan sent as many as 20 e-mails to Awlaki. Authorities intercepted the e-mails but later deemed them innocent or protected by the first amendment.

The FBI said it turned over the information to the Army, but Defense Department officials today denied that. One military investigator on a joint terror task force with the FBI was shown the e-mails, but they were never forwarded in a formal way to more senior officials at the Pentagon, and the Army did not learn of the contacts until after the shootings."---ABC News (11-11-09)

According to media reports, the evil, traitorous, mass-murdering, Islamist fanatic Dr. Nidal Hasan was communicating with a known al-Qaeda operative named Anwar al-Aulaqi (Awlaki). According to the 9-11 Commission Report, al-Aulaqi is also an American citizen. See my previous article about Dr. Hasan and al-Aulaqi.

Today, Fox News (11-11-09) reports that an unnamed government investigator claimed that they couldn't do anything about Dr. Hasan's communications because he appeared to be seeking "spiritual and religious guidance" from al-Aulaqi. Of course, al-Aulaqi reportedly advocates suicide bombing as a religious duty.

Fox News (11-11-09) reports:

Investigators would have been "crucified" over First Amendment rights if they had launched a full-scale probe into e-mails Fort Hood massacre suspect Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly sent to a radical imam, a government investigator told Fox News.

Today I read a now-deleted FBI press release (11-9-09) [see updated FBI press release (11-11-09)] about Dr. Hasan. According to the 11-9 press release, the FBI and the JTTF (Joint Terrorist Task Force) didn't seem to think Dr. Hassan's communications were anything to worry about because they appeared related to his medical "research."

The FBI press release didn't mention the name Anwar al-Aulaqi, and it didn't claim that Dr. Hasan was communicating with their target for "spiritual and religious guidance." Perhaps this is because al-Aulaqi has rights as an American citizen, or perhaps the target of the JTTF was not al-Aulaqi at all.

I think that anyone in the Army who is deliberately communicating with a known al-Qaeda operative is extremely dangerous. I don't understand why communicating with an al-Qaeda operative isn't a crime for an Army doctor, and I don't understand how this communication is medical "research."

Some media reports suggest that Dr. Hasan was "small potatoes" compared to other targets and that there will soon be a "blizzard" of arrests. I certainly hope so, but this "blizzard" will be cold comfort for the families of the soldiers shot and killed or wounded at Fort Hood.

The now-deleted FBI press release (11-9-09) [see the updated FBI press release (11-11-09)] states:

Major Hasan came to the attention of the FBI in December 2008 as part of an unrelated investigation being conducted by one of our Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs). JTTFs are FBI-led, multi-agency teams made up of FBI agents, other federal investigators—including those from the Department of Defense—and state and local law enforcement officers.

Investigators on the JTTF reviewed certain communications between Major Hasan and the subject of that investigation and assessed that the content of those communications was consistent with research being conducted by Major Hasan in his position as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Medical Center. Because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else derogatory was found, the JTTF concluded that Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning. Other communications of which the FBI was aware were similar to the ones reviewed by the JTTF.

Well, I think that Dr. Hasan is a traitor, not a researcher. According to the U.S. Code:

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Article III Section 3 of the Constitution defines treason as follows:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Of course, Dr. Hasan is not only a traitor but an Islamist terrorist and a mass-murderer. I am sure there are many of considerations that I am unaware of; but from where I sit, it seems that lots of people really blew it.