Senate panel won't investigate NSA
Seattle Times
__________
Washington (US):
The Bush administration Thursday won two apparent victories and suffered one setback on key parts of its national security policy: a warrantless-eavesdropping program and extending the Patriot Act.
Aides to President Bush appeared to have derailed a bid by Senate Democrats for an investigation of a controversial program in which the National Security Agency (NSA) has monitored perhaps thousands of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents and foreign parties without obtaining warrants from a secret court that handles such matters.
But there was one setback to the administration's efforts to keep tight wraps on the NSA operation. A federal judge ordered the Justice Department to turn over its internal documents and legal opinions about the program within 20 days, or explain its reasons for refusing.
The program, adopted by Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks, allows the monitoring of international communications into and out of the United States of people believed linked to al-Qaida or related terrorist groups.
The White House describes the program as critical to preventing terrorist attacks in the United States, but critics see it as unconstitutional and an abuse of executive power.
feb 17, 2006
Seattle Times
__________
Washington (US):
The Bush administration Thursday won two apparent victories and suffered one setback on key parts of its national security policy: a warrantless-eavesdropping program and extending the Patriot Act.
Aides to President Bush appeared to have derailed a bid by Senate Democrats for an investigation of a controversial program in which the National Security Agency (NSA) has monitored perhaps thousands of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents and foreign parties without obtaining warrants from a secret court that handles such matters.
But there was one setback to the administration's efforts to keep tight wraps on the NSA operation. A federal judge ordered the Justice Department to turn over its internal documents and legal opinions about the program within 20 days, or explain its reasons for refusing.
The program, adopted by Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks, allows the monitoring of international communications into and out of the United States of people believed linked to al-Qaida or related terrorist groups.
The White House describes the program as critical to preventing terrorist attacks in the United States, but critics see it as unconstitutional and an abuse of executive power.
feb 17, 2006
