Legal Hacking: White House vs. Capital Hill
Posted by Stephen Spoonamore at 6/9/2007 2:56 PM 
Categories: Hacking,National Infrastructure,Good Governance,Legal Issues
Categories: Hacking,National Infrastructure,Good Governance,Legal Issues
One growth area of modern computing is legal hacking. Stealing the other sides information, briefs, email and strategy in a legal matter has a huge range of valuable elements.
Like stealing the other teams playbook, it lets you gear up and practice for every play they have. Cybrinth has worked on several such events recently.
When I saw Fred Fielding was adding 9 Rock Stars to the White House Legal Team, my attention, usually taken up with finding hackers was unnaturally alerted. I asked a several friends in the legal community about the announcement. T
he range of reaction covered: very softly spoken "woahs," "damns," "uh-ohs," and one "Crap, why am I not in on this Team!"
Everyone seems to agree the The White House is positioning for a huge Legal War. I then asked if the team the WH had chosen was a team assembled for general purposes, or one that seemed PRECISELY targeted for something huge and specific. All agreed this was a team set up by someone with something very specific (and very very large) in mind. Besides wondering in the larger sense what this means for our nation...I ask this: How does the White House know what's coming? How did they know who to hire? When did they know? This seems like a team it would take a few months, or at least a few weeks to get freed up from previous work, no?
My question from an IT Perspective was different: Is the White House hacking the Hill?
I assume the only something big enough to demand this much White House lawyer up, with these skills, must be coming from the Hill. I suppose they could be about unleash their False Flag Nuke in Seattle and need this team to set aside the constitution...but baring something at extreme...the concern must be something specific coming from The Hill. But, as far as I can tell, the Hill has not given the White House 10 weeks notice to get lawyered up. Or have they?
Whatever it is, it is. The Red Alerts in the part my brain used 24/7 to watch for data leaks are very loud right now. It seems to me likely some-one is doing Legal Hacking of the Hill on behalf of the WH to give a leg up to Fred Fielding's Drafting Process. While the Hill seems to have no access White House IT, email, systems or uses even for oversite. Zero. Has anyone examined if the GOP/White House has access to the Hill's IT? This Press release, to me, indicates they do.
What type of WH access to Hill IT exists? 100% Access? Partial access? Is the Hill still using the systems installed during Delay's tenure as speaker?
Within the IT community the vendors selected to rebuild IT on the Hill from 2000-2006 are considered highly partisan arms of the GOP, not companies building solid solutions, but companies building partisan IT Tools.
Does the House and Senate have a traffic monitor and IDS system on this? I am, without any examination, looking at this from a Hunch. But getting and following hunches on IT issues is my job. I hope I am wrong. As a Reaganite Believer in the "Trust, but Verify" model, I would strongly suggest a system be put in place to drill down into the tens of thousands of communications coming and going from these systems. I bet a tiny handful will be very suspect. Following that tiny handful would be very interesting.
I have a good hunches of where they would lead. Or maybe it's normal for Presidents to add such a specific fleet of lawyers with these skill sets. At the public expense. As a precaution against...uhm...the unknown.
In Case our reader has missed the WHPR.
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 8, 2007 Personnel Announcement White House News
President George W. Bush today announced that he has named nine individuals to serve in his Administration: The President has named J. Michael Farren to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President. Mr. Farren recently served as Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Xerox Corporation. Prior to this, he served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Campaign Manager for the Bush-Quayle Re-election Committee and Deputy Director of President George H.W. Bush's Transition Team. Mr. Farren received his bachelor's degree from Fairfield University, his master's degree from Trinity College, and his JD from the University of Connecticut.
The President has named William Burck to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Burck recently served as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary at the White House. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Burck received his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his JD from Yale Law School.
The President has named Emmet Flood to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Flood recently was a Partner at Williams & Connolly, LLP. Prior to this, he served as a Law Clerk to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States. Earlier in his career, he served as Law Clerk for Judge Ralph K. Winter, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Flood received his bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and his JD from Yale Law School. He received his master's degree and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.
The President has named Scott Coffina to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Coffina recently served as a Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and an Associate at Miller Alfano & Raspanti in Philadelphia. Mr. Coffina received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his JD from the University of Pennsylvania.
The President has named Amy F. Dunathan to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Dunathan recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and as Senior Republican Counsel at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Ms. Dunathan received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
The President has named Francis Q. Hoang to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Hoang recently served as an Associate at Williams & Connolly LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Deputy Chief of Police and SWAT Commander at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Mr. Hoang received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy, his master's degree from Washburn University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
The President has named Al Lambert to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Lambert recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Laurence H. Silberman, United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit and Summer Associate at Patton Boggs, LLP. Mr. Lambert received his bachelor's degree from New York University and his JD from Harvard Law School.
The President has named Michael Purpura to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Purpura recently served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Purpura received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy and his JD from the Columbia University School of Law.
The President has named Kate Todd to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Todd recently served as a Partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States and a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Todd received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and her JD from Harvard Law School.
Like stealing the other teams playbook, it lets you gear up and practice for every play they have. Cybrinth has worked on several such events recently.
When I saw Fred Fielding was adding 9 Rock Stars to the White House Legal Team, my attention, usually taken up with finding hackers was unnaturally alerted. I asked a several friends in the legal community about the announcement. T
he range of reaction covered: very softly spoken "woahs," "damns," "uh-ohs," and one "Crap, why am I not in on this Team!"
Everyone seems to agree the The White House is positioning for a huge Legal War. I then asked if the team the WH had chosen was a team assembled for general purposes, or one that seemed PRECISELY targeted for something huge and specific. All agreed this was a team set up by someone with something very specific (and very very large) in mind. Besides wondering in the larger sense what this means for our nation...I ask this: How does the White House know what's coming? How did they know who to hire? When did they know? This seems like a team it would take a few months, or at least a few weeks to get freed up from previous work, no?
My question from an IT Perspective was different: Is the White House hacking the Hill?
I assume the only something big enough to demand this much White House lawyer up, with these skills, must be coming from the Hill. I suppose they could be about unleash their False Flag Nuke in Seattle and need this team to set aside the constitution...but baring something at extreme...the concern must be something specific coming from The Hill. But, as far as I can tell, the Hill has not given the White House 10 weeks notice to get lawyered up. Or have they?
Whatever it is, it is. The Red Alerts in the part my brain used 24/7 to watch for data leaks are very loud right now. It seems to me likely some-one is doing Legal Hacking of the Hill on behalf of the WH to give a leg up to Fred Fielding's Drafting Process. While the Hill seems to have no access White House IT, email, systems or uses even for oversite. Zero. Has anyone examined if the GOP/White House has access to the Hill's IT? This Press release, to me, indicates they do.
What type of WH access to Hill IT exists? 100% Access? Partial access? Is the Hill still using the systems installed during Delay's tenure as speaker?
Within the IT community the vendors selected to rebuild IT on the Hill from 2000-2006 are considered highly partisan arms of the GOP, not companies building solid solutions, but companies building partisan IT Tools.
Does the House and Senate have a traffic monitor and IDS system on this? I am, without any examination, looking at this from a Hunch. But getting and following hunches on IT issues is my job. I hope I am wrong. As a Reaganite Believer in the "Trust, but Verify" model, I would strongly suggest a system be put in place to drill down into the tens of thousands of communications coming and going from these systems. I bet a tiny handful will be very suspect. Following that tiny handful would be very interesting.
I have a good hunches of where they would lead. Or maybe it's normal for Presidents to add such a specific fleet of lawyers with these skill sets. At the public expense. As a precaution against...uhm...the unknown.
In Case our reader has missed the WHPR.
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 8, 2007 Personnel Announcement White House News
President George W. Bush today announced that he has named nine individuals to serve in his Administration: The President has named J. Michael Farren to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President. Mr. Farren recently served as Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Xerox Corporation. Prior to this, he served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Campaign Manager for the Bush-Quayle Re-election Committee and Deputy Director of President George H.W. Bush's Transition Team. Mr. Farren received his bachelor's degree from Fairfield University, his master's degree from Trinity College, and his JD from the University of Connecticut.
The President has named William Burck to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Burck recently served as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary at the White House. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Burck received his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his JD from Yale Law School.
The President has named Emmet Flood to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Flood recently was a Partner at Williams & Connolly, LLP. Prior to this, he served as a Law Clerk to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States. Earlier in his career, he served as Law Clerk for Judge Ralph K. Winter, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Flood received his bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and his JD from Yale Law School. He received his master's degree and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.
The President has named Scott Coffina to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Coffina recently served as a Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and an Associate at Miller Alfano & Raspanti in Philadelphia. Mr. Coffina received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his JD from the University of Pennsylvania.
The President has named Amy F. Dunathan to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Dunathan recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and as Senior Republican Counsel at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Ms. Dunathan received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
The President has named Francis Q. Hoang to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Hoang recently served as an Associate at Williams & Connolly LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Deputy Chief of Police and SWAT Commander at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Mr. Hoang received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy, his master's degree from Washburn University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.
The President has named Al Lambert to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Lambert recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Laurence H. Silberman, United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit and Summer Associate at Patton Boggs, LLP. Mr. Lambert received his bachelor's degree from New York University and his JD from Harvard Law School.
The President has named Michael Purpura to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Purpura recently served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Purpura received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy and his JD from the Columbia University School of Law.
The President has named Kate Todd to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Todd recently served as a Partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States and a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Todd received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and her JD from Harvard Law School.
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