Posted on 12/27/2005 7:23:57 PM PST by ThePythonicCow
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 - Defense lawyers in some of the country's biggest terrorism cases say they plan to bring legal challenges to determine whether the National Security Agency used illegal wiretaps against several dozen Muslim men tied to Al Qaeda.
The lawyers said in interviews that they wanted to learn whether the men were monitored by the agency and, if so, whether the government withheld critical information or misled judges and defense lawyers about how and why the men were singled out.
The expected legal challenges, in cases from Florida, Ohio, Oregon and Virginia, add another dimension to the growing controversy over the agency's domestic surveillance program and could jeopardize some of the Bush administration's most important courtroom victories in terror cases, legal analysts say.
The question of whether the N.S.A. program was used in criminal prosecutions and whether it improperly influenced them raises "fascinating and difficult questions," said Carl W. Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond who has studied terrorism prosecutions.
"It seems to me that it would be relevant to a person's case," Professor Tobias said. "I would expect the government to say that it is highly sensitive material, but we have legal mechanisms to balance the national security needs with the rights of defendants. I think judges are very conscientious about trying to sort out these issues and balance civil liberties and national security."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
James Risen needs to go to jail.
I'll bet the NYSlimes are just elated. If they are not brought up on treason charges, something is terribly wrong with our country.
Bush administration's most important courtroom victories in terror cases, legal analysts say.
I thought that the procecutor was representing "the people" not a President?
Someone needs to start spying on the New York Times.
Find out where they get all their leaks from. I bet the spying would lead you to democrat staffers on the hill or clintonistas in the cia, nsa, or justice department.
I think you guys had better take a look at this one.
Great point...I knew that line about "the Bush Administration's victories" rubbed me the wrong way..
Thanks for pointing that out.
Support Al Qaeda - Give to the ACLU.
or maybe
Support Al Qaeda - Give to the DNC.
Make damn sure someone calls Klinton as a witness. He s KEY!!!
The NY Times keeps cheering for the enemy. It's twisted.
I wonder about these challenges. Wouldn't there be legal precedence set by the Aldrich Ames case? In that case Klintoon authorized the break in and placement of bugs without a warrant. That was defended by the Justice Department on the grounds that they needed to place the bugs quickly and he was serving a foreign power.
They do not have to do that.
All they have to do is arrange for their clints to be tried in Tampa, Florida.
The jury will walk then in two shakes of a sheep's tail.
They do not have to challenge anything. They do not have to call any witnesses.All they have to to is to give it to the jury.
So, we are already seeing the rotten fruits of this treasonous leak from the NSA. Well, as long as you have liberals in career positions at these agencies, there is no end to anti Republican administration and anti-American result.
If this doesn't tip the boat amongst Republicans, I don't know what in the world will.
Wake up DOJ. Start the Grand Juries on this crap and tell Fitzgerld to go stick it.
Wake Up Specter. Instead of getting to bottom of the legality of this. Start the hearings on the leakers. The NY Slimes wants convited terrorists to roam free. Have you idiots in Washington learned nothing from 9/11? Have you at all?
Not good. Depending on the judge(s) deciding the outcome of these cases. Gonzales is going to be pretty busy next year.
Why hasn't Risen been subpoenaed by the Justice Department to testify who leaked secret information to him. And his editor, since during the Judith Miller business the Times editors told us that reportes had a duty to tell them their sources.
Jail the SOBs.
Along with a few current & former CIA employees and other MSM leakers & exploiters. I heard one man on Rush's show today say that if any of his family was killed by TERRORISTS he was bringing a class action lawsuit against the leakers including the NYT!
If you ever needed proof of the damage the NYT has done to our national security, here it is.
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