Friday, March 31, 2006
FISA Judges Tell Senate Hearing: Bush Terrorist Surveillance Within the Law
The media missed this story, as they go about trying to find more dirt on George W. Bush and his administration: during a Senate hearing on the surveillance, judges who sit on the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court said that the President was within the law in authorizing the surveillance.
And the MSM's response? Silence.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
FISA judges say Bush within law
Of course, the judges were not thrilled with the surveillance, but not one of them said it was an impeachable offense.
Wuss Feingold was not available for comment.
The media missed this story, as they go about trying to find more dirt on George W. Bush and his administration: during a Senate hearing on the surveillance, judges who sit on the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court said that the President was within the law in authorizing the surveillance.
And the MSM's response? Silence.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
FISA judges say Bush within law
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."
Of course, the judges were not thrilled with the surveillance, but not one of them said it was an impeachable offense.
Wuss Feingold was not available for comment.
