White House agrees to tell more lawmakers about NSA program

[seafan]

White House agrees to tell more lawmakers about NSA program

May 16, 2006


BY JAMES KUHNHENN
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - In a move that could help defuse a potentially contentious confirmation hearing for CIA director, the White House agreed Tuesday to provide details of its warrantless wiretapping and phone-record collection program to all members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees.

Until Tuesday, the White House had insisted on keeping details of the program secret from all but a handful of lawmakers. A closed-door classified briefing for the Senate committee is scheduled for Wednesday, a day before the committee hears testimony from Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, President Bush's nominee for director of the CIA.

"It's something we should have done five years ago ... at the inception of the program," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., the chairman of the intelligence committee. "We have reached an accommodation (with the White House). I think it's a good accommodation."

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said a time hadn't been set to brief the 21 members of his panel.

Both Roberts and Hoekstra said they hoped the expanded access to information would stop the partisan sniping over how to conduct congressional oversight of the program.

snip

(emphasis added)


GET A CLUE!!!!! This is NOT ABOUT PARTISAN SNIPING.

This is about a grave threat to the civil rights of the People Of The United States, as stated in the United States Constitution.

The occupant of the White House is operating outside the established laws of the United States. Every single Republican who does not move to stop this man and his lieutenants is a sniveling, well-fed coward.

[sueh]

1. Is this the reason why Arlen Specter has backed off

of having a senate hearing on about Bush's spying??

[antonialee839]

3. No, that is just Specter showing his usual weasel colors.

[antonialee839]

2. Oh, the king is granting an audience? What the hell?

This crap should have been done BEFORE his majesty decided it was OK to spy on American citizens
without the proper warrants. How many more sneaky, underhanded, law breaking situations will our sniveling lawmakers accept before they tell King Lame Duck enough is enough?

[Initech]

4. This started 5 fucking years ago? And we're just now hearing about it?

:grr: :argh: :nuke: