Richard Shelby
From dKosopedia
Richard C. Shelby is a Republican senator from Alabama. He was first elected to the Senate in 1986 as a Democrat, but he switched to the Republican party in 1994.
In 1992, one of Shelby's aides was murdered in Washington, DC. In reaction, Shelby managed to get Congress to force the District of Columbia to have a ballot referendum to bring the death penalty to the city (see the disenfranchisement article). DC voters rejected the proposal by 2 to 1.
Classified Leaks
- Shelby leaked contents of NSA intercepts to a FOX News reporter in 2002. Even though the reported named Shelby as his source, the Bush Justice Department decided not to prosecute him. (Source: Investigators Concluded Shelby Leaked Message, Washington Post, August 5, 2004, p. A17.)
- According to former CIA Director Tenet, Shelby asked him for "dirt" of Anthony Lake, who had just been nominated for CIA Director. (Tenet was the Asst. Director at the time.) Shelby also demanded and received the FBI's file on Lake. (Source: Richard Shelby and the Politicization of Intelligence, by David Kurtz, Talkingpointsmemo.com, October 4, 2007)