Obama Picks Critic of Warrantless Wiretapping for Slot at Justice Dept.

[Pirate Smile]

Source: New York Times

President Obama announced the nomination on Thursday of a former government lawyer, who had been critical of the legal rationale for the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program, to lead the Justice Department’s national security division.

The lawyer, David Kris, served as a senior Justice Department official in both the Clinton and Bush administrations from 2000 to 2003, and is widely respected in Washington for his knowledge of intelligence law. He is deputy counsel for Time Warner Inc. and adjunct law professor at Georgetown University, and he worked on the Obama transition team at the Justice Department.

The selection offers yet another indication of sharp changes in policy at the Justice Department by the incoming leadership.
In late 2005, following the public disclosure of the N.S.A. wiretapping program approved by President Bush, Mr. Kris wrote a 23-page legal analysis that described as “weak’’ and likely unsupportable some of the Bush administration’s key legal arguments in justifying the program.
And when he was still at the Justice Department, he advised his boss, who was at the time Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, not to sign a mysterious batch of wiretapping warrants — which grew out of the program — because intelligence officials would not reveal how the information in the wiretaps was obtained.

-snip-
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Kris will not only oversee intelligence and national security law but may also be responsible for assessing how and whether detainees now held at Guantanamo Bay can be tried in American criminal courts.



Read more: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/obama-picks-critic-of-warrantless-wiretapping-for-slot-at-justice-dept/

[defendandprotect]

1. More good news -- thank you, Pres. Obama -- !!!

[noozeucanuse]

8. Cleaning Up After Bush

That is great news. Just in case we've forgotten the last 8 years, see http://www.tv1.com/playlists/123.

[Hissyspit]

2. Excellent. nt

[Left Coast2020]

3. GOOD NEWS INDEED, HOWEVER,.

Arlen Spector is now the butt-head delaying the Holder Nomination. People should call his office. 202-224-4254. Tell him to stop delaying and not act like a little kid.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/189324-

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[moonbatmax]

4. Another Good Start

Now, I wonder if they might consider reinstating some of those U. S. Attorneys Gonzales let go?

Or is that a dead donkey, these days?

[4lbs]

5. Actually, that's already happened. All 9 have been given their jobs back.

Iglesias, the most "famous" of them, was just named as the special prosecutor in charge of the Gitmo detainees.

[No Elephants]

6. I would have left them unemployed. They were political appointees of THEIR

President, Bush. They got the jobs for being good Republicans and, probably neo theos, too. And I haven't heard any of them say they've changed their party affiliation. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

(God, I'm mean on a message board! IRL, not so much.)

[4lbs]

7. Uh... maybe you should read about why they were originally fired in the first place.

n/t

[Tempest]

11. They were fired for NOT being good Republicans

Jeez, how far off the mark can you get?

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. They got their jobs back????? When ????

I gotta know more.....please point me to a source....this is great.

[SharonRB]

10. Iglesias is the only one I heard about

Where did you see anything about the others? If true, that's great. I was hoping they'd be rehired.

[4lbs]

12. Eh. My fault. I 'jumped the gun'. I misread and misinterpreted.

I read two articles, one about the Iglesias re-hiring, and one talking about POSSIBLY re-hiring all 9, and fused them together in my mind where it registered as all 9 being hired.

So, it's my fault. Right now, only Iglesias has been re-hired. Sorry for that.