House Intel Committee Looks Into Eavesdropping On Congress
Source: Politico
By Nolan D. McCaskill and Nahal Toosi
12/30/15 12:30 PM EST
Updated 12/30/15 02:25 PM EST
A House panel on Wednesday announced it is seeking information from the Obama administration on U.S. intelligence collection that may have swept up members of Congress.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s announcement comes after a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. collected information on private exchanges between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of Congress during ongoing negotiations for a nuclear deal with Iran.
“The House Intelligence Committee is looking into allegations in the Wall Street Journal regarding possible Intelligence Community (IC) collection of communications between Israeli government officials and members of Congress,” Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said in a statement. “The Committee has requested additional information from the IC to determine which, if any, of these allegations are true, and whether the IC followed all applicable laws, rules, and procedures.”
In response, a senior administration official suggested on Wednesday afternoon that lawmakers on designated committees may already have been informed of the data collection now in the news. "The Intelligence Community is required to keep Congressional oversight committees fully informed of intelligence activities," the official said in a statement.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/house-intel-probe-wsj-217228#ixzz3vq4QgETO
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/house-intel-probe-wsj-217228
Rubio: US Snooping On Allies 'might Be Worse' Than Reported
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says the U.S. government's surveillance of allies "might be worse" than reported.
“I actually think it might be worse than what some people might think, but this is an issue that we’ll keep a close eye on," said Rubio, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, in an interview on Fox News's “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.
Rubio was discussing a Wall Street Journal article that said the U.S. continues to spy on the communications of allied nations' leaders, capturing communications between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides during the Iran nuclear talks.
The report also said that the surveillance swept up communications involving lawmakers.
MORE...
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/264432-rubio-spying-on-allies-might-be-worse-than-reported
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farleftlib
(2,125 posts)There's nothing wrong with warrantless snooping if you're not doing anything wrong. The hypocrisy is astounding.
Dustlawyer
(10,497 posts)
global1
(25,265 posts)Maybe they would think twice if they knew that they were being surveilled.
questionseverything
(9,657 posts)easy peasy
bobthedrummer
(26,083 posts)continues unabated, doesn't it, global1? 
Chapter 21-Omaha
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016139460
Solly Mack
(90,779 posts)
karynnj
(59,504 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 30, 2015, 06:33 PM - Edit history (1)
or earlier when they spied on the calls of our Secretary of State, while he attempted to broker an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
It is pretty telling that he doesn't care in the least when the US government is spied on... but gets angry when the US spies on Israel --- and finds the US Congress working with Israel against the administration. I kind of remember when every time a Democrat had a on the records SFRC cotel visit with any country when Bush was President (and even a few times when Obama was President and had charged a Senator to do so.) -- there were RW whines of "Logan Act" "treason" etc.
In this case, you have Senators meeting with a foreign power working out how to derail the administration on foreign policy.
underpants
(182,868 posts)I'm stealing text for responses to FB posts if that is okay.
karynnj
(59,504 posts)Here is a Wall Street Journal link on Israel's spying - http://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-spied-on-iran-talks-1427164201 There is a good link in Haaretz too, but people on the right might not even know that source (or like it if they did) - http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.660544
underpants
(182,868 posts)I heard Eric Erickson of Red State sitting in on Rush's show. This was SO HUGE I googled it an found that it is a WND -Breitbart topic.
The spying on Congress is nothing new.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)The FBI records every call that goes through the Capitol Hill switchboard to the office of the Mossad Chief of Station in the Israeli Embassy.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)operated. Badge of honor to be on his list along most Teamster local and National officers. Was told most Democratic Congressmen and Senators were on his target lists.
We at no time every advocate anything negative against our Country just spoke out about Nixon's Anti Working Persons Policies. Not like these so called signers to a Pledge Allegiance to a Foreign State and it's so called Leader.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)As these recordings exist, NSA might as well release all of them going back the last half century or so.
It would be highly educational.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)Here is their diatribe today: Can't wait for President Trump to use the IRS to go after Democratic political organizations and 501c3's... Trump gonna use his pen and phone and end round the constitution to enact a whole slew of laws that you lefty's will hate, Trump gonna use the NSA to spy on Democrat congressmen.... You let your hero Obama do it and you said nothing so don't look at me to criticize Trump because I will be cheering him on.....
PSPS
(13,613 posts)
underthematrix
(5,811 posts)operation discovered something that might be relevant to a specific matter related to national security. So the NSA is not spying on Congress. They were spying on a foreign leader who spies on us, Israel. And in the course of that spying they discovered that GOP house and senate members were having conversations with a foreign leader regarding the Iran Deal, which is part of our national and foreign policy framework.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan stated that the activities of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who had traveled to Cuba and Nicaragua that year and had returned with several Cuban political prisoners seeking asylum in the United States, may have violated the Logan Act, but Jackson was never indicted.[2]
In 1987 and 1988, President Reagan was furious at what he felt to be House Speaker Jim Wright's "intrusion" into the negotiations between Nicaragua's Sandinista government and the Contras for a cease-fire in the long civil war. The National Security Council considered using the Logan Act to muzzle Wright, but nothing ever came of it.
In June 2007, Representative Steve King introduced legislation that would prohibit then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from drawing on federal funds to travel to foreign states which the U.S. deemed to sponsor terrorism. King claimed that Pelosi's dialogue with the Syrian government violated the Logan Act.[11] The amendment was not adopted.
In March 2015, 47 Republican senators released an open letter to the Iranian government regarding President Barack Obama's attempts to broker a nuclear arms agreement between Iran and six major powers (P5+1).[12][13] The letter warns Iran of the limitations of President Obama's term in office and constitutional powers and notes that anything done without the advice and consent of the Senate could be undone by the next President. This prompted some commentators to suggest that the letter may have violated the Logan Act.[9][14][15][16] A petition on the White House's We The People website requesting that the Obama administration prosecute the 47 senators under the Logan Act accumulated signatures from over 320,200 people.[3]
This is the petition that was filed with the WH regarding the 4f senators who violated the LOGAN ACT:
File charges against the 47 U.S. Senators in violation of The Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement.
On March 9th, 2015, forty-seven United States Senators committed a treasonous offense when they decided to violate the Logan Act, a 1799 law which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. Violation of the Logan Act is a felony, punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years.
At a time when the United States government is attempting to reach a potential nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, 47 Senators saw fit to instead issue a condescending letter to the Iranian government stating that any agreement brokered by our President would not be upheld once the president leaves office.
This is a clear violation of federal law. In attempting to undermine our own nation, these 47 senators have committed treason.
Published Date: Mar 09, 2015
Issues: Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, Government Reform
THE LOGAN ACT:
The Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953, enacted January 30, 1799) is a United States federal law that forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments having a dispute with the U.S. It was intended to prevent the undermining of the government's position.[2] The Act was passed following George Logan's unauthorized negotiations with France in 1798, and was signed into law by President John Adams on January 30, 1799. The Act was last amended in 1994, and violation of the Logan Act is a felony. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan stated that the activities of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who had traveled to Cuba and Nicaragua that year and had returned with several Cuban political prisoners seeking asylum in the United States, may have violated the Logan Act, but Jackson was never indicted.[2]
In 1987 and 1988, President Reagan was furious at what he felt to be House Speaker Jim Wright's "intrusion" into the negotiations between Nicaragua's Sandinista government and the Contras for a cease-fire in the long civil war. The National Security Council considered using the Logan Act to muzzle Wright, but nothing ever came of it.
In June 2007, Representative Steve King introduced legislation that would prohibit then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from drawing on federal funds to travel to foreign states which the U.S. deemed to sponsor terrorism. King claimed that Pelosi's dialogue with the Syrian government violated the Logan Act.[11] The amendment was not adopted.
This is a small piece of the shit President Obama has had to deal with.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)They know that if any of the topics and comments from US congressmen came to light, there would be calls for trying them for treason. So, to prevent that, they are making a stink about the idea that we might surveil a country that has lied to us, misrepresented its plans, told us in no uncertain terms that when they attack Iran, we will get no heads up or prior warning, and which sided with one political party over another during a national election, How nuts is that? Unless is is meant to distract us from the content and circumstances of GOP pols communications with Israel.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)I mean, that's part of what they're there for. It's the ability and willingness of Republicans to actually conduct a competent investigation and accurately communicate its findings that I skeptical about :-P
