Posted on 02/11/2006 9:50:49 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a top member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she has no information to support White House claims that its secret wiretapping helped thwart a 2002 Los Angeles terrorist attack. President George W. Bush implied in a speech Thursday that information gleaned from the wiretaps helped foil an al-Qaida plot to crash a commercial jetliner into the US Bank Tower. But after a closed-door briefing, Feinstein said she'd heard nothing to indicate a wiretap played any part in foiling the plot.
"I have no way of knowing whether it did or not," Feinstein said.
Bush's revelation of new details in the plot sparked a sharp rebuke from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who raised questions over the timing of the announcement.
Feinstein avoided accusing Bush of using the purported attack for political gain, and said he likely released the new details because he was "trying to give an anecdote that people would understand, that was stark in its dimension."
But Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, said he thinks Thursday's speech to the National Guard Association of the United States had a clear political agenda.
"Bush wants to be viewed as the protector of Americans, and a highly visual, front-page description of thwarting an attack - even if it was just an attack in its early stages that might not have been going anywhere - still fits his political objectives," Sherman said.
Sherman said he would like the administration to explain what governmental purpose was served by releasing details of the plot.
"I sure hope there is one," Sherman said.
Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he also has no direct knowledge about whether the National Security Agency wiretapping program helped foil the 2002 plot, but would not be surprised if it did.
"It's clear to me that we ought to be giving kudos to our intelligence-gathering people. That could have been a very catastrophic event and it just should remind everyone that has concerns about the way the system is working."
Gallegly and Feinstein were among lawmakers briefed by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others on the controversial program to intercept U.S.-foreign communication without court approval.
The closed-door meetings were the first briefings the White House has granted full members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
So far, Gallegly said, he has seen no need for congressional oversight.
"I have seen nothing to this point that convinces me the president of the United States was doing anything except trying to protect the people of this country from terrorist attacks by monitoring phone calls that were coming from outside the United States or to the United States from people with known al-Qaida or terrorist connections," he said.
Feinstein, however, said the briefing was "inadequate" and that Congress has a right to oversee the wiretapping.
After hours of closed-door talk with NSA officials, Feinstein said she still felt the White House had "stonewalled" congressional attempts to oversee the wiretaps.
"The stones are smaller, but they are still there," she said.
somehow , I am comforted she admits she is out of the loop.
actually, she could have been in the loop and still been clueless.
We would all be better off if judges ruled on the law, if Legislators worked harder to make good law, and if both let the President do his job. Legislators are worse than the Courts for minding other branches' business.
What would she know about stones? And just whose stones is she talking about?
I think the president has been pretty clear that it's our allies who tipped us off to the planned attack, not secret wiretapping.
Congress has a right to investigate the numerous leakers among their ranks. Congress has a right to prosecute traitors in their own chambers and run them out of town on a rail. Congress has a right to protect the welfare of the American people from enemies foreign and domestic. But until they get busy and do all of the above as prerequisites, they have NO right to "oversee" (read: "meddle with") the national security of this country.
Now that the full Intelligence Committees of the Hosue and Senate have alll had briefings..wanna bet whent he first leak occurs?
Congress has proven time and again that they cannot be trusted with classified national security information.
I dont know , Maybe Mr. Bush was looking for an anecdote, But at least he didnt try to be like Bill Clinton and say he gave up his front seat on the bus to Rosa Parks. LMAO.
Let's see. What "governmental purpose" could possibly be served by releasing details of the plot? Maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to let the President continue to use the tools that were used to expose the plot? And maybe, just maybe, releasing the details is an effective way to defeat traitors who are trying to cripple our ability to foil such plots? Then maybe, just maybe, Bush can get back to being the protector of Americans, as opposed to what the dims are, which is the leaches of Americans?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
Exactly. Are we surprised by the treason and corruption of the LA Times?
Feinstein - (Osamacrat) - California.
There, that's better.
Maybe she is one of the sources of classified information leaks in the Senate?
That might be why she wasn't told.
Notice Feinstein’s not against NSA wiretapping [though that’s what they want their supporters to believe]... she just wants to have control over it. Hard to blame her when her fellow Californy democrats are conversing with MILF, the Philippines terrorist group about acquiring shoulder fired antiaircraft missiles.
This is one of the plots in which al Marri was involved- note that al Marri was just freed and sent bac to his home country Qatar by the Obama-Holder bleedingheart legal team.
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