All the news that’s fit to ignore?
A panel of former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges yesterday told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that President Bush did not act illegally when he created by executive order a wiretapping program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).
The five judges testifying before the committee said they could not speak specifically to the NSA listening program without being briefed on it, but that a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act does not override the president’s constitutional authority to spy on suspected international agents under executive order.
“If a court refuses a FISA application and there is not sufficient time for the president to go to the court of review, the president can under executive order act unilaterally, which he is doing now,” said Judge Allan Kornblum, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and an author of the 1978 FISA Act. “I think that the president would be remiss exercising his constitutional authority by giving all of that power over to a statute.”
Just thought you’d like to know. AJ has more. As does John. Powerline is pointing out that - unsurprisingly the press is spinning and framing the story to something more useful to them and the dems. Check out the transcript. The NY Times is shameless.
March 29th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
My Dear Anchoress,
The news was not ignored by the Grey Lady, but distorted:
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“…In a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the secretive court, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, several former judges who served on the panel also voiced skepticism at a Senate hearing about the president’s constitutional authority to order wiretapping on Americans without a court order…”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/politics/29nsa.html?hp&ex=1143608400&en=613c10e38b20055a&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Have a Blessed day!
oddball
March 29th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Strange! I looked on the NYT website- and that story hasn’t appeared.
Can you believe that?
March 29th, 2006 at 3:11 pm
This whole thing is absurd. How many communications involving Germans or Japanese did we intercept prior to and during WWII? How many communications entirely between Americans were intercepted between 1861 and 1865? Too many to count.
March 29th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Senate Takes Step Closer to Domestic Spying Oversight
Federal judges give a boost to legislation that would bring court scrutiny to the Bush administratio
March 30th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Visiting alternate realities: FISA judges and the MSM
Yesterday in this universe: From the Washington Times… A panel of former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges yesterday told members…
March 30th, 2006 at 11:01 am
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