Congressional Committees Want Wiretap Documents
Today is obviously subpoena day. The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider tomorrow (Thursday) authorizing subpoenas for documents related to the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) demanded documents “related to the legal opinions and analysis surrounding the controversial program” in a letter last month Roll Call reports. Leahy and Specter specified a June 5 deadline, but as anticipated, the White House refused.
On the other side of the Capitol, the House is moving in the same direction. Steve Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Office of Legal Counsel, told the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights, and civil liberties Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) the DOJ would not turn over requested documents because of their “confidential nature.”
(Duuude, the government can be quite creative with titles and names of committees. I would like to see Bradbury’s business card.)
The Justice Department and the White House will have to do some serious digging because Leahy and Specter are asking for everything back to 2001, the beginning of Bush’s administration. I presume the House will have similar requirements.
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