Posted on 02/08/2006 4:12:10 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - After weeks of insisting it would not reveal details of its domestic eavesdropping, the White House reversed course Wednesday and provided a House committee with highly classified information about the program.
The White House has been under heavy pressure from lawmakers who wanted more information about the National Security Agency's monitoring. Democrats and many Republicans rejected the administration's implicit suggestion that they could not be trusted with national security secrets.
The shift came after Rep. Heather Wilson (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., chairwoman of a House Intelligence Committee subcommittee, broke with the Bush administration and called for a full review of the NSA's program, along with legislative action to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
"I think we've had a tremendous impact today," Wilson said at a news conference as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Gen. Michael Hayden, the nation's No. 2 intelligence official, briefed the House panel on technical and tactical intelligence.
"I don't think the White House would have made the decision that it did had I not stood up and said, 'You must brief the Intelligence Committee,'" she said.
When asked what prompted the move to give lawmakers more details, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino the administration stated "from the beginning that we will work with members of Congress, and we will continue to do so regarding this vital national security program."
At least one Democrat left the four-hour House session saying he had a better understanding of legal and operational aspects of the anti-terrorist surveillance program being conducted without warrants but still had a number of questions.
"It's a different program than I was beginning to let myself believe," said Alabama Rep. Bud Cramer, the senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee's oversight subcommittee.
"This may be a valuable program," Cramer said, adding that he didn't know if it was legal. "My direction of thinking was changed tremendously."
Still, Cramer said, some members remain angry and frustrated, and he didn't know why the White House waited so long to inform Congress of its actions.
Lawmakers leaving the briefing said it covered the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Justice Department papers outlining legal justifications for the operations, limited details on success stories and some highly sensitive details.
The White House has insisted that it has the legal authority to monitor terror-related international communications in cases in which one party to the call is in the United States.
For more than 50 days, senior officials have argued that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were within the law when they chose to brief only the eight lawmakers who lead the House and Senate and its intelligence committees.
I value what you say that's why I pinged you about the show.
Heather Wilson appeared on Oberman's show???
hmmmmm
It's another rope-a-dope again! The dems never fail to fall for it.
After all their whining .. the WH concedes .. and the first person who leaks ANYTHING ABOUT THIS INFO will be finding themselves indicted for leaking classified info.
Good luck dems .. hope you take the bait!!
but it is, because now every not-so-bright jihadi in the US, knows not to pick up a phone and call Pakistan on it. they know to change communications methods.
the republican house leadership should strip her of her chair on this committee.
So says DU. Also, Jane Harman was on PBS newshour and they're ripping her a new one also. I'm waiting for the transcript.
for every measure, there is a counter-measure. its the team that stays one step ahead that wins.
remember those FR threads about the recent surge in sales of prepaid, activated cellphones.
Who's ripping Harman a new one, the DUmmies or Lehrer and his gang? And why are they going after her, is she defending the program (i.e. not howling for Chimpeachment)?
The piece about the Jimmah Cahtuh sub being outfitted to doing the deep water work is a nice dig at the peanut head.
Intentional? lolol
Spy agency taps into undersea cable
Think I'll start shutting down for the night.
Been a busy day!
The publication of its existence, making its use known as a weapon in the War on Terror made the program "public", particular details of the implementation and mechanics notwithstanding.
President Bush, IIRC, called such revelation "descipable" in his first news conference after the Wa comPost published the news.
My assertion stands: the press, the 'rats, and Al-Qaeda are very very happy the news of this program leaked.
Well, isn't SHE Ms. Tough Cookie?
OK, then, Congress, the ball is in your court. We'll just see how long it will be before this info gets leaked to the press. THEN the President will have some real ammo when he says that he'll not tell you anything else because you and your staffs cannot be trusted to keep your big fat mouths SHUT!
LOL. No, you didn't. But the publication describing the ability to wirelessly tap international calls from within the USA wasn't helpful to the War on Terror.
I'll believe the President when he said leaking the existence of that secret program was a reprehensible act.
Again, who is happy about the leak? The MSM, the 'rats, and Al Qaeda.
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