MSNBC: Justice Dept. to probe leak of NSA material to paper. More to come

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

That's it...just the teaser at the top of the MSNBC home page:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

[wtmusic]

1. No probe on whether spying was legal, I'm sure

:puke:

Like having Santo Trafficante investigate the mob.

[yorkiemommie1]

8. i just sent them an email about that

n/t

[C_U_L8R]

2. Intimidation tactics?

to discourage whistle-blowers ???

These white house nazis are so predictable... and wrong.

[lala_rawraw]

3. But not the President abusing his power, is that correct?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. Excerpts from the Reuters article, posted 12 minutes ago:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation to determine who disclosed a secret NSA eavesdropping operation approved by President George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks, officials said on Friday.

---SNIP---

Justice Department officials would give no details of who requested the probe or how it would be conducted.

The disclosure of the covert domestic spying program has triggered concerns among both Democrats and Republicans, with many lawmakers questioning whether it violates the U.S. Constitution.

---SNIP---

The White house has sought to play down the impact on civil liberties, saying the program was narrow in scope and that key congressional leaders were briefed about it.



Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the Department of Justice in Washington, May 20, 2005. The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation to see who disclosed a secret NSA eavesdropping operation, department officials said on Friday. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&u=/nm/20051230/pl_nm/security_eavesdropping_dc_4

[spindrifter]

5. And just who

is Alberto Gonzales? And what did he have to do with justifying the snooping? Go ahead, Al, make it look like someone else did a bad thing--it doesn't make the Administration's crimes right.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. True dat

The guy was the fucking White House counsel when the spying began, so he ostensibly signed off on its legality as part of his job function there. This is the great danger in confirming him as AG. He's knee deep in the illegalities of the first Bush term, so how the fuck can he be expected to enforce the laws of the land against himself and his cohort. Placing him as attorney general was a great coup for the Bushies, since his inherent conflict of interest makes it impossible for him to prosecute anything of substance against them. That this wasn't an issue with the Senate that confirmed him is mind-boggling to me. It is an out-and-out subversion of government to make the President's lawyer the attorney general of the United States. More scary still, Bush tried to place his other lawyer - sans any legitimate qualifications - on the Supreme Court of these United States. The whole thing is completely ridiculous - not even Boss tweed would have the stomach for this level of corruption and cronyism.

[wtmusic]

9. On the other hand Ashcroft was successfully forced out

of the Plame affair--all it takes is some determination from Congress. Arlen Specter is launching an inquiry, and the same may happen with Gonzales.

[spindrifter]

13. The Administration

has been slowly filling the AG's office with wingnuts who will rubber stamp whatever the h*ck the PNAC'er's and all the rest of the Ch*ney-Rummy gang want as they wage their high stakes attack on the government of the U.S. and it's people.

[lyonn]

14. Bush keeps circling the wagons

The circle appears to be getting tighter and tighter. Protection all around him. I keep thinking of dominoes and how when one falls they all fall. No doubt that crowd keeps the shredder going night and day. They only keep the good stuff (things like abortions, personnal stuff) on the Dems and reporters to keep them in line.

Good post Alcibiades.

[Call me Deacon Blues]

7. Yeah, they're calling it

Operation Cover Your Ass

I suppose if Bush bit the head off a baby in the Oval Office on National Television, they'd investigate the networks for broadcasting it. Their blatant hypocrisy is breathtaking.

WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, DEMOCRATS? YOU SHOULD BE AT THE WHITE HOUSE GATE EVERY DAY DEMANDING HIS IMPEACHMENT! (Sorry, end of rant)

[Walt Starr]

10. The leaker is the Greatest American Hero of the 21st Century n/t

[lyonn]

15. Agree Walt, hope he/she doesn't stop now n/t

[ddeclue]

11. Here's the defense...

Sorry but the WHISTLEBLOWER was reporting a felony conspiracy conducted by the President and others in his administration to violate the FISA Act and therefore the WHISTLEBLOWER WAS acting lawfully.

CONCEALING the information was a crime under the Federal Obstruction of Justice statutes. The President can't just stamp all the files related to his crimes "TOP SECRET" to hide them so that they never see the light of day. That destroys all accountable democratic government.

They got Nixon on stamping things "TOP SECRET" to hide them too.. read Nixon's articles of impeachment:

http://watergate.info/impeachment/impeachment-articles.shtml

and I quote:

"and he did direct the concealment of certain records made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of electronic surveillance." (from Nixon's Articles of Impeachment, July 27, 1974)

So the President can throw a hissy fit if he wants to and try to threaten the Press and the leaker but he has no legal leg to stand on...

Doug De Clue
Orlando, FL

Here's the article I wrote about this at brainshrub.com:

www.brainsshrub.com/president-wiretap

Listening in without a warrant isn't just impolite, it's a felony.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (USC Title 50 Chapter 36 Subchapter 1) specifically prohibits the government from doing what the President has secretly ordered and it is a serious felony with major penalties.

The President has publicly confessed to this felony on national television. He ordered government agencies to engage in spying on thousands of American citizens without a warrant when the Congress made specific provisions in law to cover all circumstances, even emergency situations so that the government could listen in for up to 72 hours before obtaining a warrant, plenty of time to find and convince a judge.

There is no excuse for this action, yet the President has done so anyways.

That the President has colluded with others to do so, also makes this a conspiracy subject to fine and imprisonment up to 5 years per count under USC TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 19 § 371.

That he has chosen to hide it from the public, the Congress, law enforcement agencies, and the Courts through secret findings and secret orders may also be a case for obstruction of justice under USC TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 73 § 1512 paragraph (b).

The penalties for illegal wiretaps are severe, up to 5 years and $10,000 per count. The President has admitted to reauthorizing this violation of the law 30 separate times and thousands of phone calls have been intercepted.

Did anyone ever see the movie The Firm? I think we've just found the way to shut down the firm of Bendini Lambert and Locke.

The time has come for Prosecutor Fitzgerald to step forward and finally take the gloves off.

It is definitely time for the Congress to convene impeachment hearings.

More information:

FISA Act:

USC Title 50 Chapter 36 Subchapter 1

§ 1809. Criminal sanctions

Release date: 2005-03-17

(a) Prohibited activities A person is guilty of an offense if he intentionally—

(1) engages in electronic surveillance under color of law except as authorized by statute; or

(2) discloses or uses information obtained under color of law by electronic surveillance, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through electronic surveillance not authorized by statute.

(b) Defense

It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection (a) of this section that the defendant was a law enforcement or investigative officer engaged in the course of his official duties and the electronic surveillance was authorized by and conducted pursuant to a search warrant or court order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

(c) Penalties An offense described in this section is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

(d) Federal jurisdiction There is Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section if the person committing the offense was an officer or employee of the United States at the time the offense was committed.

[SillyGoose]

12. They are going to investigate WHO leaked but not if the spying is legal?

This is such bullshit. I am so sick of seeing republican party politics taking precedence over this country as a whole.

:argh: