Hoekstra denies online messaging compromised Middle East trip

A spokesman for the lawmaker accused recently of releasing sensitive information about a congressional trip to Iraq via a social networking site denied the congressman did anything wrong.

"The only heat is coming from the media itself," said Dave Yonkman, spokesman for Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., who used his account on Twitter to post messages about a secret trip he and some of his colleagues took to Iraq and Afghanistan to gather information on the progress of the war.

Yonkman said no government officials have contacted Hoekstra about the incident, which the congressman dubbed a "Twitterversy."

Hoekstra posted messages to Twitter to announce his arrival in Baghdad and to relay when the delegation arrived in Baghdad's Green Zone.

Critics said Hoekstra put himself and the congressional delegation in danger by posting his whereabouts, including a preview of the trip, online. They note that media organizations informed about the trip were asked to keep the information under embargo until it was completed. The six-member delegation returned safely on Monday.

Navy Cmdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, said such information is considered sensitive but not necessarily classified. "The whole point of it being sensitive is we want to provide maximum protection for everybody who goes on these [trips], not just the congressmen but the escorts involved," he said. "We do our best to protect that information and make it clear to everyone that they ought to be sensitive and not put it out beforehand."

The Pentagon is reviewing its policies regarding the release of such information, James said, noting that it is unclear whether Hoekstra violated any Defense Department rules.

Hoekstra's office has maintained he did nothing wrong and posted a document on his Web site arguing that Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and President Obama have made similar announcements during trips to the Middle East.

Yonkman said no restriction was placed on Hoekstra that would have prevented him from twittering about his trip and that he never provided real-time information on his location. Hoekstra typically writes travel journals and announces his trips beforehand, he added.

"The only thing new is that it's technology he didn't have before," Yonkman said. "It's nothing new. Other members of Congress have done it," giving interviews to reporters while in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The microblogging site, which allows users to post messages of up to 140 characters, is one of the fastest growing social networking tools on the Internet. In recent weeks, a significant number of agencies, lawmakers and federal officials have been posting information.

Mark Drapeau, a government consultant who writes about Government 2.0 for the social networking site Mashable, said officials must use social media tools to understand them, and that in rare situations the applications can reveal privileged government information.

"It should be pointed out that, to my knowledge, the precise time of arrival and the precise time of the tweet have not been correlated," he said. "In my personal usage, I often name the restaurant, bar, etc. where I'm hanging out right after leaving. That said, real-time communication of work activities, particularly in situations involving sensitive national security or intelligence matters, should be done with extreme discretion."

The Twitter site first drew attention on the Hill in August 2008, when House Republicans refused to adjourn for the summer before voting on an energy bill. After Pelosi ordered the lights and C-SPAN cameras turned off, House Republicans remained in protest to debate the bill in the dark. Reps. John Culberson, R-Texas; John Boehner, R-Ohio; and Hoekstra began posting updates on the status of the discussions from their cell phones to their Twitter pages.

A Republican staffer who twitters on behalf of a lawmaker said the event was a turning point for social media in government. "I was home sick, and that was the day I signed up for Twitter so I could follow what was going on," the staffer said. "It was revolutionary, the fact that a member from the floor can let thousands of people know what's going on."

Since then more lawmakers have turned to Twitter to help them broadcast messages to the public, but the methods they use are varied. Many lawmakers allow staff members to tweet on their behalf, sticking to messages about upcoming events, votes or policy positions. Some, including Reid, use the service as an RSS feed to push out news releases from their Web sites. Others, like Hoekstra and Culberson, use the service to connect with their constituents and respond to their concerns.

"It's all about transparency," Yonkman said. "The congressman prefers to do it himself because it's his voice; he can get his message out that much more quickly."

He said lawmakers should embrace Twitter because it greatly improves their ability to communicate without the filter of the media.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has attracted attention for her informal and frequent twitter updates. Sources say she updates her own messages and comments on everything from pending legislation to the most recent Missouri Tigers basketball game.

"I have to say, [McCaskill's Twitter] is really cool," the Republican staffer said.

Thousands of people have signed up to follow Twitter feeds Congress members have set up. McCaskill has nearly 4,500 followers, and Culberson has more than 6,500. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., leads all lawmakers with more than 13,000 followers. President Obama is the most popular in government, with more than 260,000 followers.