Pentagon Calls Paris Attack 'Lone Wolf'' Event, Twitter Hacking 'Cyber Vandalism'

    The Pentagon called the hacking of the Central Command's (CENTCOM) YouTube and Twitter accounts Monday "cyber vandalism" in a letter to service members and their families to allay concerns about the incident. General Lloyd Austin said that the FBI is investigating the "alleged breach" of the two social media sites by hackers who claimed to be aligned with the Islamic State (ISIL.) While Austin said that "CENTCOM network was not compromised and no classified information," he acknowledged that the hackers posted "information obtained from the accounts," though he did not go into further detail.
    Austin also referred to "the threat of ‘lone wolf’ attacks by individuals who align with or are sympathetic to radical Jihadist elements," examples of which, according to Austin, are the "recent tragedies in Paris..., New York City and Ottawa, Canada." The general acknowledged that Monday's hacking included threats, but said there were no "no credible threats made to U.S. military personnel or their families."
    In any case, Austin said, the military is taking the threats "very seriously" and will "take all possible measures" to keep military personnel and their families safe.
    The full text of General Austin's letter is here:

This week, hackers claiming to be aligned with the extremist group ISIL took control of CENTCOM’s Twitter and YouTube accounts for approximately 30 minutes. They posted tweets with information obtained from the accounts and they also posted threats against military members and their families. 

I recognize that this has caused significant angst among family and friends who are understandably concerned about their loved ones’ safety. I want to personally reassure you that we are taking this matter very seriously and we continue to take all possible measures to keep our personnel safe. 

With respect to the alleged breach of our Twitter and YouTube accounts, The Federal Bureau of Investigation is in the process of conducting a full investigation. However, you should know that the CENTCOM network was not compromised and no classified information was obtained by the group. Also, as yet, there have been no credible threats made to U.S. military personnel or their families. 

That said, we do not take these threats lightly, and we will do what is necessary to mitigate them. Unfortunately, the threat of ‘lone wolf’ attacks by individuals who align with or are sympathetic to radical Jihadist elements exists today, and we’ve seen this demonstrated with the recent tragedies in Paris and before that in New York City and Ottawa, Canada. We must all take the necessary precautions and be highly vigilant to protect against these threats. 

Our people are our most important assets and our top priority and that includes our family members. And, we need to make sure that we are looking out for one another. All of you are an important part of our CENTCOM team, and I want to thank you for your many contributions and your strong support. If you need anything or have additional concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to your service member’s chain of command or the headquarters. 

Be safe!
GEN AUSTIN
COMCENT

    Although General Austin referred to the Paris attacks as 'lone wolf' events, there have been some possible links to al Qaeda uncovered as Thomas Joscelyn reports in the January 19 edition of THE WEEKLY STANDARD, including an eyewitness account that one of the killers said "You can tell the media that it’s al Qaeda in Yemen" during the attack on Charlie Hebdo's offices.

Note: A version of this post first appeared at The Weekly Standard.

Senator Charles Schumer to Facebook Co-Founder: "Dislike"

    News that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin had renounced his U.S. citizenship prior to the Facebook IPO this week really put a burr under Senator Chuck Schumer's saddle.  Schumer was incensed that Saverin appears to be avoiding taxes that he would incur should he sell his shares of Facebook that are estimated to be worth about $4 billion (LA Times):

"This is a great American success story gone wrong," Schumer said. "Mr. Saverin wants to de-friend the United States just to avoid paying taxes, and we're not going to let him get away with it."

And part of what "not going to let him get away with it" means:

...mak[ing] sure he never sets foot in the U.S. again unless he pays tens of millions of dollars in taxes he will owe after the company's initial public offering Friday. 

 By announcing his (and Sen. Bob Casey's) legislation in such a targeted way and personal way, we have the spectacle of a sitting Senator appearing to threaten a virtual Bill of Attainder to punish Saverin.  Since Bills of Attainder are specifically prohibited by the Constitution and Senator Schumer is no amateur, he and Casey will doubtless find a way to broaden the scope of the law to avoid this pitfall.  Schumer's legislative experience is particularly evident in the naming of the legislation:  "Expatriation Prevention by Abolishing the Tax-Related Incentives for Offshore Tenancy Act, a name designed to produce the acronym Ex-PATRIOT Act." (If Senators invested a fraction of the energy they use to produce acronyms to balance the budget, the deficit would vanish in no time.)
    Senator Schumer's enthusiasm to use legislation to punish the wealthy has not always run so high.  In 2007 when Democrats were considering tax increases to finance more government spending, Schumer balked.  The New York Times reported:

Mr. Schumer said in an interview that he was torn between the need to protect an industry vital to his home state and the need to generate revenues to finance government programs. He said a tax increase on private equity and hedge fund executives could lead to an exodus of jobs and companies from New York, and even from the country. He said the plan, if enacted federally, would also lead to an increase in New York State tax that would further bear down on the industry. He said he worried that the industry was being unfairly singled out. [emphasis added]
“Unintended consequences often occur when you do major tax work. And you have to be careful,” Mr. Schumer said in the interview, held in his office just off the Senate floor.

Ironically, it was the Mitt Romney-like vampires ("private equity and hedge fund executives") who are the current target of the 2012 Obama campaign that Schumer was concerned about in 2007 fleeing his home state along with their companies and jobs.  But these days, Schumer is more concerned with electoral consequences than "unintended" ones.  Although Saverin denies that taxes are behind his decision, Schumer is grandstanding with a constitutionally questionable and punitive law to score points in an election year.  The current legislation seems part of the overall Buffett Rule/tax-the-wealthy strategy the Democrats have made part of their 2012 campaign.  "The despicable trend that Saverin exhibits must be stopped dead in its tracks," Schumer scolded.  The same could be said of Schumer's cynical politcal theater.