Post by Ceci on May 17, 2007 18:31:06 GMT -5
Last night, I had heard on the news about the past shenanigans of Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzalez when he had to visit his predecessor, John Ashcroft to okay the White House's use of wiretaps and datamining in the NSA program. What comes next is an amazing bout of intrigue that continues to boggle the mind why impeachment charges have not been brought up.
This is from USA Today. Feast your eyes on this:
I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
This is from USA Today. Feast your eyes on this:
WASHINGTON — Then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales made a late-night hospital visit in 2004 to pressure critically ill Attorney General John Ashcroft to approve President Bush's controversial domestic spying program, a Senate panel was told Tuesday.
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, former deputy attorney general James Comey said he had rejected the program because Ashcroft and top aides had questioned its legality.
When Ashcroft was ill with pancreatitis, Comey was acting attorney general and had authority to OK the classified program. He said the end-run angered him. "I thought I just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man," he told the Judiciary Committee.
Comey declined to identify the program, which was up for renewal on March 11, 2004. Several committee members asked questions that would apply only to the National Security Agency's domestic spying program that allowed wiretapping without warrants in some terrorism cases.
Comey said he learned that Gonzales and then-White House chief of staff Andrew Card were going to George Washington University Hospital the night before the program had to be reauthorized.
Comey raced to Ashcroft's bedside. "I was concerned that, given how ill I knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that," he said.
Gonzales told Ashcroft they needed his approval, Comey said. Ashcroft "lifted his head off the pillow and in very strong terms expressed his view of the matter," he said. Ashcroft then deferred to Comey. Ashcroft and Comey had previously discussed its questionable legality.
Comey said he and other top Justice aides prepared to resign after the hospital visit because the White House approved the program over department opposition.
Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, former deputy attorney general James Comey said he had rejected the program because Ashcroft and top aides had questioned its legality.
When Ashcroft was ill with pancreatitis, Comey was acting attorney general and had authority to OK the classified program. He said the end-run angered him. "I thought I just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man," he told the Judiciary Committee.
Comey declined to identify the program, which was up for renewal on March 11, 2004. Several committee members asked questions that would apply only to the National Security Agency's domestic spying program that allowed wiretapping without warrants in some terrorism cases.
Comey said he learned that Gonzales and then-White House chief of staff Andrew Card were going to George Washington University Hospital the night before the program had to be reauthorized.
Comey raced to Ashcroft's bedside. "I was concerned that, given how ill I knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that," he said.
Gonzales told Ashcroft they needed his approval, Comey said. Ashcroft "lifted his head off the pillow and in very strong terms expressed his view of the matter," he said. Ashcroft then deferred to Comey. Ashcroft and Comey had previously discussed its questionable legality.
Comey said he and other top Justice aides prepared to resign after the hospital visit because the White House approved the program over department opposition.
I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this.