Unlawful disclosure of Zeituni Onyango’s Immigration Status?

(commonly known as "Obama's Counsins' Mama Leak Gate")

[float=right]
^{credit Canadian Free Press}[/float]

The government is investigating whether any laws were broken in the disclosure that Barack Obama's aunt, Zeituni Onyango(zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), was living in the country illegally.

Obama's half aunt, who is from Kenya, was ordered to leave the United States years ago after an immigration judge denied her request for asylum, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press late Friday. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss the case.

[snip]

Information about Onyango's case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release, just five days before the presidential election. Obama's campaign strategist David Axelrod said people are suspicious about stories that surface so close to an election.

Obama said Saturday he did not know his aunt was living in the United States illegally and believes that laws covering the situation should be followed.

MORE

Who knew that a person's immigration status cannot be disclosed publicly?

I did know that covert CIA agent's identity cannot be disclosed unless it is declassified by the President - Bush in this case - and the head of the agency CIA Director George Tenet. We never did find out if Bush and Tenet signed an order so that Armitage, Rove, and Libby could disclose Valarie Plame's identity as a CIA agent but that because Libby lied and obstructed justice - he took one for the team. But now we have a new leak case five days before the election. Anybody that would put a CIA agent's life in jeopardy would certainly also disclose Obama's Aunt immigration status illegally without even batting an eye. We'll have to wait and see what the Inspector General finds. Talk amoungst yourselves.