[IP] FISA Court Judges Meet to discuss Spy Program and possible disbandment?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Richard Forno <rforno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 22, 2005 10:43:17 AM EST
To: Infowarrior List <infowarrior@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: FISA Court Judges Meet to discuss Spy Program and possible
disbandment?
Judges on Surveillance Court To Be Briefed on Spy Program
By Carol D. Leonnig and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 22, 2005; A01
The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government
surveillance
in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing
for her
fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President
Bush's domestic spying program, according to several intelligence and
government sources.
Several members of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said in
interviews that they want to know why the administration believed
secretly
listening in on telephone calls and reading e-mails of U.S. citizens
without
court authorization was legal. Some of the judges said they are
particularly
concerned that information gleaned from the president's eavesdropping
program may have been improperly used to gain authorized wiretaps
from their
court.
"The questions are obvious," said U.S. District Judge Dee Benson of
Utah.
"What have you been doing, and how might it affect the reliability and
credibility of the information we're getting in our court?"
< snip >
The judges could, depending on their level of satisfaction with the
answers,
demand that the Justice Department produce proof that previous
wiretaps were
not tainted, according to government officials knowledgeable about
the FISA
court. Warrants obtained through secret surveillance could be thrown
into
question. One judge, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said
members could suggest disbanding the court in light of the president's
suggestion that he has the power to bypass the court.
< snip >
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/21/
AR2005122102
326_pf.html
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