Posted on 12/30/2005 2:50:55 PM PST by rocksblues
Asserts Bush should be investigated for lying to Americans, breaking law Posted: December 30, 2005 5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Accusing President Bush of breaking the law and lying to the American people, the American Civil Liberties Union today condemned a Justice Department investigation into the leak of the National Security Agency's operation to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists.
The Justice Department announced the investigation today of disclosures to The New York Times about surveillance conducted without warrants on calls between U.S. citizens and terrorists in foreign countries since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Administration officials argue the president had the power to conduct the wiretaps under the Constitution's war powers provision and contend Congress also gave permission when it authorized the use of military force against terrorism in a resolution adopted days after 9-11.
The ACLU, however, called on the administration to drop the newly announced probe of the leakers and, instead, to order an investigation of Bush's program.
"President Bush broke the law and lied to the American people when he unilaterally authorized secret wiretaps of U.S. citizens," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.
The ACLU wrote a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and took out two full-page advertisements in the New York Times calling for appointment of a special counsel to determine whether Bush violated federal wiretapping laws.
Romero said that "rather than focus on this constitutional crisis, Attorney General Gonzales is cracking down on critics of his friend and boss."
"Our nation is strengthened, not weakened, by those whistleblowers who are courageous enough to speak out on violations of the law," Romero said.
The controversy began two weeks ago with a Times story, one day after the Iraqi elections, revealing the existence of the program. The paper said it withheld the story for a year because it needed more time for reporting, but its publishing came on the eve of the release of a book by reporter James Risen on the same subject.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the Justice Department made the decision to investigate the leak on its own.
"The leaking of classified information is a serious issue," he said, according to the Associated Press. "The fact is that al-Qaida's playbook is not printed on Page One and when America's is, it has serious ramifications."
The administration made a legal interpretation of the president's powers that enabled it to avoid requirements under the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
As WorldNetDaily reported, a new survey found nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the NSA should monitor communications between terrorist suspects overseas and contacts inside the U.S.
Hey, ALCU, shut up! Just shut up, shut up, shut up! Damn it they make me wanna break things. Arrrrghhhh!
How can we gather the money to place ads and sue the ACLU to get out tax money back and take away their tax exempt status?
We must shut down their agenda. First step would be to stop their tax free status!
WOW! How bossy of them !!!
Wonder if the ACLU is linked to the leakage...
Uncanny. Pick the wrong side of any issue, and there's the ACLU.
If lying were a crime in Washington everyone would be in jail.
Isn't it about time to investigate the ACLU? Finances, personnel, management, etc.
Exactly - how many "ties" to terror suspects does the ACLU have?
Scooter Libby was just a whistleblower then too.
All of them.
Un freaking believable. If we deported the ACLU, we'd solve half our problems in one whack.
According to the ACLU anything done to protect America is UnAmerican.
I don't remember the ACLU going all bananas to help Linda Tripp when the EVIL BASTARDLY RATS were out to tear the skin off of her! SCREW them!
I think it's time for "W" to use one of Slick Willie's old tactics. Put the IRS on the aCLU like white on rice. Most Americans would love to see some of these aCLU "lawyers" doing the "perp walk" and Smoking Gun putting their mugshots all over the internet. It would be a great day for liberty and freedom in America.
To incure the wrath of the ACLU you must believe that the US is allowed to protect itself from anyone!
Obviously the ACLU hates the competition.
Then the DOJ probably needs to look at ACLU staff and attorneys as having information about the leaks.
The ACLU sounds as if they're running scared for some reason.
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