Gonzales: New FISA Role for Domestic Spying
In what may be a major reversal of course, the Bush administration may yet submit to the rule of law regarding its illegal NSA domestic spying program. The AP is reporting that Attorney General Gonzales notified Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) that the Justice Department will once again submit wiretap requests to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Courts.
"As a result of these orders, any electronic surveillance that was occurring as part of the Terrorist Surveillance Program will now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court," Gonzales wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
"Accordingly, under these circumstances, the President has determined not to reauthorize the Terrorist Surveillance Program when the current authorization expires," the attorney general wrote.
For the background on the dangerous politics of domestic spying for the Bush White House, see:
- "The Republicans' Constitutional Crisis."
For the latest news, legal documents and other essential materials, see:
- "The NSA Domestic Spying Resource Center."
UPDATE: TPM Muckraker now has the Gonzales letter posted.
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We'll have to see what this really means.
Posted by Dayton Donkey on January 17, 2007 12:22 PM