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Friday, May 11, 2007
House Backs FISA Court
Pushing back against the White House on warrantless wiretaps, the House early Friday approved a measure saying that court-issued warrants offer “the exclusive means” by which officials may eavesdrop on private conversations as a way to gather foreign intelligence information.
At issue is the administration’s practice of listening in - without receiving a warrant - on conversations between people in this country and abroad, when the administration has reason to suspect one party could have ties to a terrorist group.
President Bush has said the practice - which began shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but came to public light in late 2005 - is necessary to help the National Security Agency collect information that could help capture dangerous terrorists or head off another attack.
Civil liberties advocates have protested, however, insisting that the administration abide by the terms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978.
That act requires the government to secure a warrant for such eavesdropping.
The secret FISA court responsible for issuing such warrants can do so retroactively - after the eavesdropping takes place - but only if the government can show why it has reason to suspect a terror link.
The Bush administration contends that provision is too restrictive to allow NSA analysts the freedom to intercept suspect calls on a timely basis.
The American Civil Liberties Union rejects that argument, citing constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure.
The measure the House passed early Friday - sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. - reaffirms the FISA warrants as the only legitimate avenue for the NSA eavesdropping.
“Electronic surveillance of those seeking to harm our country must be targeted and aggressive,” Schiff said in a prepared statement following the vote. “It must also be constitutional and respect the privacy of law-abiding Americans…Today, Congress reaffirmed that basic protection.”
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An Estimate of Professor Tenet
Washington, D.C. May 7, 2007
An Estimate of Professor Tenet
In light of the reaction sparked by the recently released “At the Center of the Storm,” we would like to offer our view as students of Professor George Tenet.
A group of Masters’ Candidates representing a diverse mixture of views and nationalities had the pleasure of taking Professor Tenet’s graduate seminar “Intelligence in Practice” this spring. Professor Tenet’s character made a deep impression on our class.
He stuck with the issues, welcoming both debate and criticism, rather than shifting blame or unfairly impugning the character of former colleagues.
His willingness to honestly reflect on the successes and failures during his tenure as DCI made every class a gripping experience. In our judgment, Professor Tenet presented a balanced and fair account of the issues and events discussed.
George Tenet conveyed all of the values and attributes of a good leader: personal integrity, accountability for his mistakes, a fierce commitment to his agency and people, and the strong belief that he served his country to the best of his ability during an intense period of this nation’s history.
He was a constant inspiration to us due to his passion, his candor, and his integrity. We believe this is the best legacy that a teacher can leave behind to his students. For that, we remain deeply grateful.
Chris Wilson
Valeria Di Fiori
Full Disclosure: Cox reporter Tara Copp was a student in Tenet’s Georgetown class this spring. Because of the neutrality the press must maintain, she did not initiate the letter and did not sign it. The letter was initially submitted to The Washington Post for publication, but was declined.
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Martinez Named in Election Complaint
A non-partisan ethics watchdog group filed a complaint today with the Federal Election Commission alleging that U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez did not fully disclose information about nearly half of his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign contributors.
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| Photo by Rick McKay |
The complaint by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) grew out of an FEC audit last month that found numerous violations of federal election laws during Martinez’s campaign in Florida.
“The violations committed by Martinez for Senate are unprecedented in both size and scope,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said in a statement.
“Basically, Mel Martinez broke the law in order to win an election. Now, years later, he is a sitting senator and the chairman of the Republican (Party). A failure by the FEC to severely sanction the Martinez for Senate campaign committee will demonstrate that violating the law pays,” Sloan said.
Martinez narrowly defeated Democrat Betty Castor in the 2004 election.
Martinez acknowledged last month that “mistakes were made,” but said, “we’ve corrected them and we’re moving forward. We take them very seriously.”
The FEC audit found that Martinez’s campaign did not list occupation and/or employer information for 46 percent of the people who contributed to his campaign. It also found that Martinez did not provide any information about donors who contributed approximately $320,000.
The FEC also reported that Martinez’s campaign accepted $313,325 in contributions that exceeded federal limits, and that he did not timely report more than $140,000 given 20 days before the election.. The Martinez campaign said last month that he had returned about $97,000 in excess contributions.
A CREW news release said the organization wants the FEC to sanction Martinez’s campaign for the amount of the violations, nearly $800,000.
So far, the FEC has not taken any action against the Martinez campaign as a result of the audit.
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