Justice Department Seeks To Retain Phone Record Data Beyond 5 Years For Use In Civil Lawsuits

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Associated Press | 22 minutes ago in Money, Politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is seeking to preserve the bulk collection of telephone records beyond five years because it's being sued and has an obligation to retain evidence.

The department says that destroying the records could be inconsistent with the government's legal obligations in the lawsuits.

Lawyers for the government made the request in a filing with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that was made public Wednesday.

Critics of the National Security Agency's phone records program have sued the government challenging the legality of the collection program.

Read more: http://www.newser.com/article/a63e6027c90f4b5dab22c3d420252c8d/justice-department-seeks-to-retain-phone-record-data-beyond-5-years-for-use-in-civil-lawsuits.html

[PSPS]

1. This is rich

So here we have "Sleepy" Holder, appointed by our illustrious "constitutional scholar," bobbing and weaving just like Bush with a shoe flying at him.

So the NSA engages in its illegal surveillance of US citizens (sorry, "secret laws" claimed to be emanating from a "secret court" don't count in a democracy) which triggers a lawsuit which then triggers the claim that the illegal activity must be continued to respond to the suit which, it seems, will be postponed indefinitely and, thus, enshrine this illegality in perpetuity.

And, of course, all of this is proceeding in the same "secret court."

Bloody lovely, isn't it?

[Psephos]

2. Well, imagine that...

To protect themselves (not *you*) from their illegal actions, they need more illegal actions.