Posted on 01/04/2006 5:47:49 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee told President Bush Wednesday that the White House broke the law by withholding information from the full congressional oversight committees about a new domestic surveillance program.
In a letter to Bush, Rep. Jane Harman (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said the National Security Act requires the heads of the various intelligence agencies to keep the entire House and Senate intelligence committees "fully and currently informed of the intelligence activities of the United States."
Only in the case of a highly classified covert action can the president choose to inform a narrower group of Congress members about his decision, Harman said. That action is defined in the law as an operation to influence political, economic or military conditions of another country.
"The NSA program does not qualify as a 'covert action,'" Harman wrote.
Bush and his senior national security aides have said that appropriate members of Congress were briefed more than a dozen times about the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance operations, which Bush first approved the month after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The highly classified sessions are known to include the "Gang of Eight," which is made up of the top Republican and Democrat in the House and Senate and on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
"We believe that Congress was briefed appropriately," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Wednesday in response to Harman's letter.
Responding in writing to Harman, House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., said Harman had never previously raised concerns about the number of people briefed on the program.
"In the past, you have been fully supportive of this program and the practice by which we have overseen it," he wrote. "I find your position now completely incongruent."
Many details about the scope of electronic surveillance program remain unknown. However, Bush and his aides have asserted the monitoring — without court warrants — is narrowly targeted to eavesdrop on calls and e-mails of people who are inside the United States and suspected of communicating with al-Qaida or its affiliates.
Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday that the program helped to prevent possible terrorist attacks against the American people: "This program is critical to the national security of United States."
Democrats who have been briefed on the program have raised serious concerns about its legality, but not called for its immediate halt. Republicans and Democrats alike have called for hearings this year.
D is for DemocRAT
and Despicable
And desperate.
Actually, she is the best they have and has been good about this. She must have been pressed to do this by the party hacks. As the response shows she never raised the issue and has been supportive of the program.
This is rich...Valerie Plame is covert, but a super secret NSA anti-terror surveillance program isn't.
Could anything make her look more stupid?
Duh.
Another alternative type to ignore.
Or she is one of the leakers (which I doubt) and is trying to establish herself as a whistle blower. She does look foolish though, imho, and was clearly pressed to make this statement. Its completely of a statement she made last week regarding this and how important it is to our national security. The leaker(s) are clearly democrats, and they are beginning to circle the wagons to make excuses for the traitor(s).
I saw this AP headline ... very misleading ... Makes it sound like they were instructed back in 2001, by the Justice Department, that the taps were illegal.
What a joke. Spying isn't a covert action?
They must have come down on her hard, for her to put out such a stupid statement. The Dems are so transparent.
Another Nice FAKE HEADLINE.
REAL HEADLINE: DEMOCRAT ALLEGES PROGRAM BROKE LAW WEEKS AFTER SHE SAID IT WAS FINE
She supported the program just a few weeks ago. What Harman says can be ignored.
As I said earlier -- she is being pressured. The dems are circling the wagon because they know who the leaker is (Rockerfeller is my guess).
these rats care nothing about national security
What's next, is she going to produce a letter that she wrote to herself in 2002?
-PJ
Of course.
In other words STFU you lying B****.
And the truth shall set you free. Too bad Harman never bothered ready the ENTIRE National Security Act. If she had she would have read subchapter 3, sec. 413b, paragraph C part 2 which states "If the President determines that it is essential to limit access to the finding to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting vital interests of the United States, the finding may be reported to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the congressional intelligence committees, the Speaker and minority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority and minority leaders of the Senate, and such other member or members of the congressional leadership as may be included by the President."
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode50/usc_sec_50_00000413---b000-.html
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