Posted on 12/06/2006 9:43:22 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Senators frustrated by scant details on the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program on Wednesday rapped FBI Director Robert Mueller for refusing to show how it has curbed terrorist activity in the United States.
Mueller said he was unable to talk about the warrantless spying program because it is classified.
"What assurances can you provide that the program is worthwhile?" asked Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa. "Have arrests been made? Have terror cells been broken?"
The FBI has briefed congressional intelligence committees on the controversial program, but Mueller said he did not have permission to share that information with other lawmakers — including the judiciary panels that oversee the bureau.
"I am prepared to brief whichever committee, to the extent that I am allowed to," he said.
In his opening remarks, Mueller ticked off a list of FBI cases targeting terror suspects since the 2001 attacks. They included the so-called "Lackawanna Six" who allegedly attended al-Qaida training camps; an Ohio truck driver who plotted to attack the Brooklyn Bridge; and four men charged with planning to hit synagogues and U.S. and Israeli facilities in the Los Angeles area.
But Mueller did not say if any of the cases resulted from the secret spying program, which was revealed last year. His answer annoyed senators, who said their constitutionally protected oversight was being hampered by the administration's stonewalling.
"When done poorly or without proper safeguards and oversight, data banks do not make us safer, they just further erode Americans' privacy and civil liberties," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), D-Vt., the panel's incoming chairman. He said the administration "has gone to unprecedented lengths to hide its own activities from the public, while at the same time collecting and compiling unprecedented amounts of information about every citizen."
Later, Mueller also said the FBI could better fight terrorists if authorities had stronger subpoena power to determine if threats are valid, and if search and surveillance tools granted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court could be expanded.
His appearance marked a long-delayed hearing for senators eager to hear about the FBI's progress on terror investigations, including a 5-year probe into the deadly anthrax attacks. Mueller declined comment on specifics of the case. He was also scolded by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., for ranking violent crime prevention as less of a priority than public corruption and organized crime cases.
"Gangs are killing more people in this country than organized crime ever did," Feinstein said. "And that's just a fact."
Responding, Mueller said that if the FBI didn't go after crooked public officials and organized crime cases, "it will not be investigated." He called public corruption cases the FBI's "top criminal investigative priority," noting that more than 1,000 government employees have been convicted over the last two years with the FBI's help.
A worker at the National Security Agency at the Threat Operations Center in Fort Meade, Maryland, January 25, 2006. The Justice Department is launching an internal review of its participation in the Bush administration's controversial domestic eavesdropping program, the department's inspector general told congressional leaders on Monday. (Jason Reed/Reuters)
This is not the first, nor last time Specter defends the world's most evil people.
WOW....all this going on...and the Dems haven't even taken their oath yet.
Wish I could have seen it.
What a jerk. Why doesn't he just cross the aisle and say he is a demorat instead of pretending to be a Republican.
Specter: "Have arrests been made? Have terror cells been broken?"
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I'd like to know what planet he lives on.
I wonder how much money DiFi received from labor unions last year.
I'm guessing that Spector is worried abut the FBI investigating Congress.
The WOT is over.
He must be mistaken. Right?
Be sure to vote in the next round so we can get more of the same.
FMCDH(BITS)
I wonder how Sen. Pat Geary feels about investigating organized crime?
He's a good soldier, though I'm sure many Freepers would find something to bash him about as they do everyone in the administration.
This was the beauty of the GOP congress...investigations could be kept at bay. But too many conservatives were susceptible to the hyperventilating of the MSM and didn't vote because of a so-called MSM created corrupted GOP congress.
Ah, well, I guess dumb ignorance will always be with us.
If I were the FBI chief, I would have responded by asking, "What assurances do I have that you will make sure that whatever I tell you doesn't end up on the cover of the NY Slimes?"
"WOW....all this going on...and the Dems haven't even taken their oath yet"
You mean the oath to protect the United States.....right
I'm not advocating for it so please don't have the f.b.i. come visit me but I'm a little suprised some nut hasn't killed one of these unAmerican type senators or congress critters like the talk show host has said is going to happen.
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