Category «Congress»

CRS Reports on Congressional Oversight and Protection of Classified Info

Following up with reports related to January 17, 2006 posting, Comparison of Congressional Oversight During Clinton and Bush Administrations, Secrecy News has posted two CRS reports as follows: Congressional Oversight, updated January 3, 2006 (6 pages, PDF) Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals, updated January 11, 2006 (6 pages, PDF)

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Administration Defense of Domestic Surveillance Program Escalates

Notable articles today: New York Times: Delicate Dance for Bush in Depicting Spy Program as Asset Washington Post (reg. req’d) Bush Defends Domestic Spying – Deputy National Intelligence Chief Says Program is Targeted on Al Qaeda President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University, January 23, 2006: “This is a — I repeat …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

Questions About NSA Surveillance From the Not So Distant Past

Statement for the Record of NSA Director Lt Gen Michael V. Hayden, USAF, House Permanet Select Committee on Intelligence, 12 April 2000: “In performing our mission, NSA constantly deals with information that must remain confidential so that we can continue to collect foreign intelligence information on various subjects that are of vital interest to the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Privacy

Legislation Forthcoming to Strengthen Consumers’ Internet Privacy

Google’s Infinite Database Under Scrutiny, press release, January 20, 2006: “Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), the ranking Democrat on the Telecommunications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee…announced his plans to introduce a bill to strengthen consumers’ Internet privacy. When Congress returns, Rep. Markey will introduce legislation to prohibit the storage of personally identifiable …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

Conyers Holds Unofficial House Judiciary Cmte. Hearing in Basement – Again

No, not the Basement Tapes, but the second Basement Hearings [the first hearing was held on June 16, 2005.] Judiciary Democratic Congressional Briefing “Constitution in Crisis: Domestic Surveillance and Executive Power” January 20, 2006. From the Prepared Statement of Congressman John Conyers, Jr., January 20, 2006, Democratic Hearing on Domestic Surveillance: “There can be no …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

Senate Resolution Clarifies No Congressional Authorization for Warrantless Wiretaps

Press release: “Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on Friday introduced a resolution setting the record straight that Congress did not authorize President Bush’s illegal spying program when it passed a 2001 resolution governing the use of military force in the war on terror.” Text of S. Res.__,…the Authorization of Use of Military Force Does Not Authorize …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

10 Year Plus Investigation Into Cisneros Ends, With $21 Million Pricetag

January 18, 2006: “Rep. Waxman asks Independent Counsel David M. Barrett for an explanation regarding why his office has been renting 11,500 square feet for only five full-time employees and other new details GAO recently provided on Mr. Barrett’s expenditures. To date, his ten-and-a-half year investigation of former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros has cost the …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents

EPIC Sues DOJ for Domestic Surveillance Documents

Press release: “Today EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit (PDF) against the Department of Justice, asking a federal court to order the disclosure of information about the Administration’s warrantless domestic surveillance program within 20 days. The Justice Department has played a key role in authorizing, implementing and overseeing the National Security Agency’s domestic …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

DOJ Defends Legal Authority For NSA Domestic Surveillance

As reported by the New York Times: Administration Lays Out Legal Case for Wiretapping Program, which references the following report: a 42 page DOJ paper, in unclassified form (PDF), titled Legal Authorities Supporting the Activities of the National Security Agency Described by the President, released January 19, 2006. There is also a one page preface …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Privacy

Limited Congressional Briefings on NSA Spying “Inconsistent With the Law” Says CRS Memo

On January 4, 2006, Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush stating that “… the practice of briefing only certain Members of the intelligence committees [on NSA programs] violates the specific requirements of the National Security Act of 1947.” A New York Times article published on January 19, 2006 discusses a January …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy