Boston.com: Specialists doubt legality of wiretaps – Many rebut assertion of presidential powers. Postings on domestic surveillance Rep. Jane Harman, FISA Warrants Can Cover All Activities Of The NSA Program: “I am one of the few in Congress who has been briefed on the program, and I am not clear why FISA as presently drafted… Continue Reading
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Senate Cmte. Denied Access to DOJ Docs on Domestic Surveillance
New York Times, February 2, 2006: Panel Rebuffed on Documents on U.S. Spying: “The Bush administration is rebuffing requests from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for its classified legal opinions on President Bush’s domestic spying program, setting up a confrontation in advance of a hearing scheduled for next week, administration and Congressional officials said… Continue Reading
EFF Sues Telecom Company for Allegedly Providing NSA With Massive Customer Database
Press release: “The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T Tuesday, accusing the telecom giant of violating the law and the privacy of its customers by collaborating with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive and illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans’ communications…In the lawsuit, EFF alleges that AT&T, in… Continue Reading
Administration Defense of Domestic Surveillance Program Escalates
Notable articles today: New York Times: Delicate Dance for Bush in Depicting Spy Program as Asset Washington Post (reg. req’d) Bush Defends Domestic Spying – Deputy National Intelligence Chief Says Program is Targeted on Al Qaeda President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University, January 23, 2006: “This is a — I repeat… Continue Reading
EPIC Sues DOJ for Domestic Surveillance Documents
Press release: “Today EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit (PDF) against the Department of Justice, asking a federal court to order the disclosure of information about the Administration’s warrantless domestic surveillance program within 20 days. The Justice Department has played a key role in authorizing, implementing and overseeing the National Security Agency’s domestic… Continue Reading
Limited Congressional Briefings on NSA Spying “Inconsistent With the Law” Says CRS Memo
On January 4, 2006, Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush stating that “… the practice of briefing only certain Members of the intelligence committees [on NSA programs] violates the specific requirements of the National Security Act of 1947.” A New York Times article published on January 19, 2006 discusses a January… Continue Reading
Lawsuit Filed Against Bush and NSA Over Domestic Spying
Press release: “In New York, on January 17, 2006, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a lawsuit against President George W. Bush, the head of the National Security Agency (NSA), and the heads of the other major security agencies, challenging the NSAs surveillance of persons within the United States without judicial approval or statutory… Continue Reading
Former CIA GC Memo to Intel Cmte. Challenges Legal Authority For Domestic Surveillance
On January 3, 2006 Jeffrey H. Smith, a former General Counsel of the CIA and a former General Counsel of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a 16 page memorandum to the Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, addressing the legal authorities regarding warrantless surveillance of U.S. persons. His conclusion – “The… Continue Reading
Calls for Investigation into Pentagon Domestic Surveillance Have Generated Response
After a series of Congressional calls for hearings and investigations into the administration’s controversial post 9/11 domestic surveillance program, news today from several sources confirming that probes have indeed been launched, and hearings scheduled. Questions remain as to when, and if, the conclusions will be made public. Additionally, ABC News reports that former NSA “insider”… Continue Reading
Calls For Special House Panel and DOJ Investigations of Domestic Surveillance Program
Press release, January 6, 2006: “U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin today sent a letter to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert requesting that a special House panel be created “to undertake an immediate investigation and hearings into the President’s purported authority to conduct eavesdropping of U.S. citizens without a court order.” Press release, January 9, 2005:… Continue Reading
Senate Judiciary Cmte. Chair Requests Testimony From AG on Domestic Surveillance
AP: Specter Seeks AG’s Testimony on Spying Related references: December 19, 2005 Press Briefing by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and General Michael Hayden, Principal Deputy Director for National Intelligence. The NSA Spy Engine: Echelon, by Jason Leopold Related postings on domestic surveillance Continue Reading
CRS Report Evaluates Presidential Authority for Warrantless Surveillance
CRS Report, January 5, 2006: Presidential Authority to Conduct Warrantless Electronic Surveillance to Gather Foreign Intelligence Information (44 pages, PDF) Related references: New York Times, Report Questions Legal Basis for Bush’s Spying Program: “President Bush’s rationale for authorizing eavesdropping on American citizens without warrants rests on questionable legal ground and “may represent an exercise of… Continue Reading
