Posted on 12/27/2005 10:47:23 AM PST by Pragmatic_View
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush decided to skip seeking warrants for international wiretaps because the court was challenging him at an unprecedented rate.
A review of Justice Department reports to Congress by Hearst newspapers shows the 26-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court modified more wiretap requests from the Bush administration than the four previous presidential administrations combined.
The 11-judge court that authorizes FISA wiretaps modified only two search warrant orders out of the 13,102 applications approved over the first 22 years of the court's operation.
But since 2001, the judges have modified 179 of the 5,645 requests for surveillance by the Bush administration, the report said. A total of 173 of those court-ordered "substantive modifications" took place in 2003 and 2004. And, the judges also rejected or deferred at least six requests for warrants during those two years -- the first outright rejection of a wiretap request in the court's history.
Looks like a full frontal assault to me.
I would bet that some FISA Judges deemed themselves better for executing this War on Terrorism than our President and our President realizing this took his authorities right back. Congress Authorizes the War, the President exclusively executes the war and no where does it state "Court" has a role in a war.
Are you sure about that? MNJohnnie insists they were all appointed by Clinton. Now, I could believe a Clinton appointee would do such a thing but someone appointed by William Rehnquist who was first appointed by Nixon and elevated by Reagan?
Perhaps that's where all this "secret" information is coming from -- malcontents ON the Court who think only judges should decide matters like this?
Would you give the same power to a President who is a Democrat? I will not!
You may have problems with this stuff, but it is ridiculous to call it "big government".
I'm all for the debate! But, I think the debate should be a closed session and there should be some new controls and powers added to snag leakers and try them for TREASON!
Certainly not in the MSM; on the other hand, we here at FR were outraged.
Robinson was the biggest rube that ever walked through a courthouse door.
Oh, BOOHOO. Exactly what RIGHTS have you lost? How about naming them?
BTW, if you're calling militant terrorists overseas from your house phone, I want SOMEBODY to know about it.
The presence of a PA will not deter a crook from using the law inappropriately!
If anyone could show me widespread abuses of the PA by any administration, I might have second thoughts. Nothing has come up.
I keep seeing this argument being made and there is a flaw to it, imo. Although we are all thinking about Hillary as the Democrat in power, and there is absolutely NO trust there, and rightfully so, given the importance of the war on terror, most presidents, Republican or Democrat, will get my full support for working outside the FISA court when it comes to the jihadists and their conversations with American citizens.
I want to know WHY this guy wasn't offended enough to resign about what was going on until the New York Times published their article.
And who has emailed this question to the reporter who barfed up this story?
ADDITIONALLY, this is not a Patriot Act question. Carter and Clinton did the same thing as Bush is doing. No court warrants but surveillance/wiretaps anyway. Kudos to Bush for chasing Al Qaeda down wherever they are.
Probably somebody on FR, but I'm sure it went right to the Spam Can.
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/23/inv.fisc.explainer/
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is a secret court that oversees spying in the United States. It was set up to oversee implementation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Judges on that court ruled that the Justice Department is misinterpreting its new powers under the U.S.A. Patriot Act that Congress passed last October. The court said the Justice Department's plan to allow prosecutors to become involved in intelligence investigations goes too far.
The court also mandated that whenever an intelligence official wants to talk with a prosecutor, a Justice Department lawyer must participate to ensure nothing improper is said.
The Justice Department has appealed the decision, saying the U.S.A. Patriot Act allows for a freer flow of communication between the intelligence side and the law enforcement/prosecution side.
Notice the FISA made a ruling on how to interprete the Patriot Act.....and also notice they erected the FAMOUS GORELICK WALL in this order.....interesting.
Because he isn't going to start shelling out classified information the way some have. Those who have done this should be thrown in jail with the animals they are defending.
No, Clinton didn't.
The Chief Justice picks all the FISA judges. That would have been Rehnquist. So any ACLU or Leftist Judge, like the one that just 'resigned', is-was his doing.
Name any person who's "rights" have been violated during this Congressionally informed program?
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