Gonzales Seeks to Clarify Testimony on Spying (more classified programs?)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801587_pf.html
Gonzales Seeks to Clarify Testimony on Spying

Extent of Eavesdropping May Go Beyond NSA Work

By Charles Babington and Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 1, 2006; A08

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales appeared to suggest yesterday that the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance operations may extend beyond the outlines that the president acknowledged in mid-December.

In a letter yesterday to senators in which he asked to clarify his Feb. 6 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales also seemed to imply that the administration's original legal justification for the program was not as clear-cut as he indicated three weeks ago.

At that appearance, Gonzales confined his comments to the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program, saying that President Bush had authorized it "and that is all that he has authorized."

But in yesterday's letter, Gonzales, citing that quote, wrote: "I did not and could not address . . . any other classified intelligence activities." Using the administration's term for the recently disclosed operation, he continued, "I was confining my remarks to the Terrorist Surveillance Program as described by the President, the legality of which was the subject" of the Feb. 6 hearing........

with equally double-speaky names! Now I get it! :sarcasm:

...At least one constitutional scholar who testified before the committee yesterday said in an interview that Gonzales appeared to be hinting that the operation disclosed by the New York Times in mid-December is not the full extent of eavesdropping on U.S. residents conducted without court warrants.

"It seems to me he is conceding that there are other NSA surveillance programs ongoing that the president hasn't told anyone about," said Bruce Fein, a government lawyer in the Nixon, Carter and Reagan administrations.

A Justice Department official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the program, said, however, that Gonzales's letter "should not be taken or construed to be talking about anything other than" the NSA program "as described by the president."

In his letter, Gonzales revisited earlier testimony, during which he said the administration immediately viewed a congressional vote in September 2001 to authorize the use of military force against al-Qaeda as justification for the NSA surveillance program. Bush secretly began the program in October 2001, Gonzales's letter said........

In fact, that may have been broken into multiple programs for all we know. But we learned in the past few days that TIA appears to be alive and well.

eavesdropping on all domestic calls/emails as well. Once you've decided to turn the NSA onto domestic comm., why limit it to only international calls? Why not just eavesdrop on domestic calls as well? It's illegal no matter what, and secret as well. So why bother restricting it? Once they've "flagged" a suspected terrrorist based on int. calls, it would be easy to simply begin monitoring that person's domestic calls as well. I just can't believe that they eavesdrop, decide someone is a terrorist, yet will restrict it to only listen to that person's international calls. They've never shown restraint in any area, & have already unleashed NSA technology on the US - I think it's a safe bet that they took it as far as they could.

The more I hear about it, the more comprehensive I believe it is. Remember that things like the NSA program are like icebergs. What we know about is NOTHING compared to the REAL extent of the program, and that there are programs far more insidious that we simply hven't learned about (and may NEVER learn about).

I think that not only are they listening in on every call and checking every email, they're running boards like DU & FR through their wringer as well. It's ALL analyzed by TIA & the analysis is sent to the FBI. I believe that there are other programs as well that they haven't tipped their hand on, and that may include such things as routing all call data to our allies for analysis as well.

was extremely specific. Many people on DU pointed out that he kept answering with "THIS program does such & such." "THIS program does not eavesdrop on domestic calls". He was already limiting his testimony - so that he wouldn't be lying if other programs became public. Now, it's even worse. Gonzales is limiting his testimony even more. He's not saying what "the Terrorist Surveillence Program," actually does, but only what the program does "as described by the President." So he's saying he will repeat Bush's false description, that's all. He will not say what the program actually involves. This is a wonderful disclaimer because he can now state a straight-up lie & feel protected because he is only limiting his statements to "the President's description."

need to clarify, or is it the plunging Bushco poll numbers screaming out every man for himself?

I wonder what other "law" they are rolling over on?

No wonder Arlen refused to put him under oath.

"Clarifying" is code for "retroactively covering one's most vulnerable parts". It doesn't usually work in the long run, but it can buy some time to bolt for serious cover.

Something smells funny around here. :freak: