Former Marine Pleads Guilty to Spying
EmailA former Marine Sergeant who spied from inside the White House has pleaded guilty in federal court in New Jersey to espionage charges.
The former sergeant’s spying activities from the White House were first reported by ABC News’ Brian Ross shortly after the FBI caught the ex-Marine when he continued to pass U.S. secrets to current and former Philippine officials from an FBI intelligence center in southern New Jersey.
In open court today, Leandro Aragoncillo pleaded guilty to espionage charges related to his passing of secrets to individuals, who are current and former high-level government officials, and others in the Philippines. He admitted conspiring with those individuals in an attempt to destabilize and overthrow the Philippine government.
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I hope, and will follow, to see if the coverage of yet another White House insider who has committed a felony while in Bush’s house will equal that of the “Patrick Kennedy Story of the Morning/Evening.”
If this was on Clinton’s watch, all hell would break loose. There would those demanding he resign for his negligence and danger to our nation.
Let’s see what’s important–or what is it sensational.
Posted by: Fred Sofen | May 4, 2006, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
05/04/06
Your reporter, Brian Ross, has unearth a more senester story than what appears on the surface. Remember that Sargeant Aragoncillo was working for Vice President Cheney when he supposedly discovered those incriminating information about the incumbent leadership of the Arroyo Administration in the Philippines. Having worked in the U.S. military establishment for a long time now, he has, for all intents and purposes, divorced himself from local Philippine politics. I don’t believe he has any reason to middle in Philippine affairs. That is, unless he has been ordered by his superiors in the White House. That is the only reason why he can be prevailed upon to interfere in any manner in Philippine political going-ons. Personally, he would not dream of doing that. But, under the command of his White House superiors, Sargeant Aragoncillo would be very suseptible and probably receptive and cooperative as well. His very job that he loves, is in jeopardy. And who knows even his very tenure in the U.S. military, may likewise be at stake. Under these circumstances, he is duty bound to cooperate with his White House superiors. Yes, he did spy against the Arroyo government in the Philippines, and for what reason. I do not think that money is the real motivation, although it appears as a strong impetus in this equation. In the long run, Sargeant Aragoncillo knows very well that he has nothing to gain financially from the transaction, except possibly a lot of headache and professional ruin. What he feared most, is the backlash from Vice President Cheney and President Bush, if he decided not to cooperate with them. You see, at the time, this all is conspiring, both President Bush and Vice President Cheney were red-hot mad at the Arroyo Administration for pulling the Philippine military contingent from Iraq. President Arroyo, in fairness, did not mandate this, but she was under juress, so to speak, because of the kidnaping case involving a Filipino worker. For the sake of that Filipino’s poor family and the increasing pressure from all sectors of the population, President Arroyo took the easier way out of the controversy. In the process, of course, she angered both President Bush and Vice President Cheney, who were trying very hard to preserve the coalition forces in Iraq. In any sign to vowing to enemy demands, can lead to even greater dissolution of the coalition forces. The American leaders were very careful that that would not happen at all.
Please see if you can find any fallout from the spying story, that can shed further light as to the more intimate details why Sargeant Aragoncillo decided as he did and how he managed to be very successful at it, despite his distance and his low rank from the secrets of power in the White House.
Thanks for an excellent work. Best regards and God bless!
Enrico B. Monteclaro
Posted by: Enrico B. Monteclaro | May 4, 2006, 10:51 pm 10:51 pm
Former US Marine Sgt. Leandro Aragoncillo may have acted with impassioned selflessness to restore freedom and democracy on behalf of his native land Philippines. He is an idealist and true patriot. Gloria Arroyo and her husband Miguel were behind a coup d’état plot in January 2001 against a duly-elected president of the Republic with the help from communists, leftists, gambling lords and corrupt military generals. Majority of Filipinos want her to be ousted due massive corruption, patronage and systematic electoral fraud during the May 2004 presidential election. Democracy is dying in the Philippines, that peaceful, nonviolent protest against the bogus government met by fascist repression, warrantless arrest, muzzled free press and murdered crusading journalists. The Bush administration should stop supporting illegitimate President Gloria Arroyo.
Posted by: Diego K. Guerrero | May 5, 2006, 12:25 am 12:25 am
God forbid, we should ever do “racial” profiling… Sgt. Leandro Aragoncillo is a native of the Philippines.
Posted by: Santa Claus | May 6, 2006, 1:48 am 1:48 am