FISA "Reform" Bill - What They Don't Want You to Know

[leveymg]

The Senate and House leadership (majority AND minority leadership, and heads of both Intel Committees) were in on warrantless wiretapping from 2003 on, just as they were briefed about new torture procedures long before it was revealed in the media. Like the CIA’s "enhanced interrogation techniques", FISA violations went on for years with the Congressional leadership's knowledge before the public learned about it.

Under present law, without change, that makes some very powerful Senators and House leaders – along with White House figures and telco executives -- criminally and civilly liable, and subject to years of being named in law suits and, possible indictment. They know this, and so should you.

The push for amnesty is pure CYA, all the way around. That's why the senior members are now pushing for telco amnesty, while the incumbent President will sign it, knowing that the next one – President Barack Obama -- has vowed not to.

Consider this: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html

December 16, 2005
Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts

By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU

SNIP

A White House Briefing

After the special program started, Congressional leaders from both political parties were brought to Vice President Dick Cheney's office in the White House. The leaders, who included the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House intelligence committees, learned of the N.S.A. operation from Mr. Cheney, Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden of the Air Force, who was then the agency's director and is now a full general and the principal deputy director of national intelligence, and George J. Tenet, then the director of the C.I.A., officials said.

It is not clear how much the members of Congress were told about the presidential order and the eavesdropping program. Some of them declined to comment about the matter, while others did not return phone calls.
Later briefings were held for members of Congress as they assumed leadership roles on the intelligence committees, officials familiar with the program said. After a 2003 briefing, Senator Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who became vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee that year, wrote a letter to Mr. Cheney expressing concerns about the program, officials knowledgeable about the letter said. It could not be determined if he received a reply. Mr. Rockefeller declined to comment. Aside from the Congressional leaders, only a small group of people, including several cabinet members and officials at the N.S.A., the C.I.A. and the Justice Department, know of the program.

Some officials familiar with it say they consider warrantless eavesdropping inside the United States to be unlawful and possibly unconstitutional, amounting to an improper search. One government official involved in the operation said he privately complained to a Congressional official about his doubts about the program's legality. But nothing came of his inquiry. "People just looked the other way because they didn't want to know what was going on," he said.

Is FISA reform really necessary now to protect the public? No, of course not. As the NYT explained when the mass eavesdropping was first revealed:

The standard of proof required to obtain a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is generally considered lower than that required for a criminal warrant - intelligence officials only have to show probable cause that someone may be "an agent of a foreign power," which includes international terrorist groups - and the secret court has turned down only a small number of requests over the years. In 2004, according to the Justice Department, 1,754 warrants were approved. And the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court can grant emergency approval for wiretaps within hours, officials say.

But, it is necessary to save a handful of the most powerful figures in Washington from the legal consequences of some very bad decisions they made in secret during the early years of the Global War on Terrorism. Should they be held accountable for that?

That’s a decision the courts and the people of the United States should make, not those who violated the law.

Don't look the other way because you, too, don't want to know what's going on.

STOP THE FISA REFORM BILL.

[liberal N proud]

1. The bu$h regime brought in key people to cover their ass

They knew that if and when the people woke up to the scam, they would have to have a way of implicating Congress and thus forcing them to go along with protection.

:mad:

[MiniMe]

2. The problem is that Bush and Cheney would have prosecuted them for Treason

for divulging anything. So I can't blame them for not informing the public. Their votes, however, should have reflected what they knew.

[dmr]

4. I was going to post something similar

Several years ago, I remember reading or hearing Senator Graham discussing how he wanted to divulge information he became aware of after a briefing, but he was gagged by an oath. As much as it pained him, he could not reveal what he knew.

Senator Graham was once my governor and senator and I've always viewed him as an honorable man.

[chill_wind]

3. And a little money influence never hurts, either. AT&T is the #2 Heavy Hitter

in money to Congress (opensecrets.org)

AT&T and Verizon are both are in the Top Five contributers to Rockefeller.