Senator Sounded Alarm in '03 - WaPo

Senator Sounded Alarm in '03
Rockefeller Wrote Cheney to Voice Concerns on Spying

By Charles Babington and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, December 20, 2005

<snip>

John D. Rockefeller IV, a wealthy man representing a poor state, had been the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee for six months when he sat down to a secret briefing on July 17, 2003. What he heard alarmed him so much that immediately afterward he wrote two identical letters, by hand, expressing his concerns.

He sent one to Vice President Cheney and placed the other -- as he pointedly warned Cheney he would -- in a safe in case anyone in the future might challenge his version of what happened. Rockefeller proved prophetic. Yesterday the 21-year Senate veteran from West Virginia released his copy of the letter -- which when written, was so sensitive he dared not allow a staffer to read it, let alone type it.

In eight sentences on two sheets of Senate letterhead, Rockefeller wrote obliquely of "the sensitive intelligence issues we discussed today." Yesterday, after confirming with White House officials that the letter contains no classified information, the senator said the briefing's topic was the National Security Agency's expanded surveillance of Americans, publicly disclosed last week by the New York Times and now at the center of a political furor.

Rockefeller's unease suffused the short letter. "Clearly, the activities we discussed raise profound oversight issues," he wrote. Laws governing classified information barred him from sharing the information with lawyers, aides or other experts who might have helped him evaluate the information, he told Cheney.

"As I reflected on the meeting today, and the future we face, John Poindexter's TIA project sprung to mind, exacerbating my concern regarding the direction the Administration is moving with regard to security, technology, and surveillance," Rockefeller wrote.

<snip>

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/19/AR2005121901641.html

Impeach NOW !!!

:mad::grr::mad:

:kick:

We cannot silently allow this to pass.

and growing. That letter was written in 2003. The times had the story in 2004. Now maybe momentum will pick up and the chimp will have to be all defensive all the time.

I'm thinking when the Rove deal hits, that will take up all his time. I hope the chimp twists in the political wind before being impeached.

Impeach now. If not now, when?

pretty dramatic stuff. Had to write it by hand because it was too classified even to share with staffers.

Good thinking to keep the copy...



http://thinkprogress.org/wp-images/upload/Intell.pdf

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/12/19/rockefeller-letter/

"I'm not an attorney" in reference to Junior's spying activity.

No wonder they're so hyped up.

Representatives of the House that have found themselves keeping copies and letters and "proof" of things in their safety deposit boxes? Just the fact that he felt he needed to do this....WOW!

:scared:

snip

Rockefeller, turning back to the NSA program in his letter, told Cheney: "Without more information and the ability to draw on any independent legal or technical expertise, I simply cannot satisfy lingering concerns raised by the briefing we received."

The letter, whose existence was unknown to Rockefeller's staff, indicated that the three briefers were Cheney, then-CIA Director George J. Tenet and then NSA-Director Michael V. Hayden. The letter said the Senate intelligence committee's chairman, Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), was there, and it indicated, without naming them, the presence of then-Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the ranking members of the House intelligence committee.

In hindsight, the letter could hardly have served as a better rejoinder to President Bush's claims that key congressional leaders were adequately briefed on the expanded NSA program and his intimation that they did not seriously object. Rockefeller "was frustrated by the characterization that Congress was on board on this," said one official who is close to him and who spoke on background because of the topic's sensitive nature. "Four congressmen, at least one of whom was raising serious concerns, does not constitute being on board."

snip


Here is our proof (in addition to Bob Graham's statements), in writing, that Congress was NOT ON BOARD with this. A very good piece of evidence refuting *'s deceitful claim.

... and all those who "followed orders" are indictable and impeachable, as well -- got that Torture boy, Condi, Bolton, Yoo (yes, you can be impeached even when you have left the position), ............ a very long list.

And, the folk, at the operations level, who did the surveillance are likely already running to their lawyers and will be advised to plead early! If not, someone should advise them to do so.


Peace.

If Bush and Cheney were in it together.

Cheney's spooks had no doubt gone digging in Jay's office trash, probably looking for any reference to the letter he'd written Cheney, or anything about the meeting/spying? Someone was spying on Jay too and they used the democratic campaign strategy notes they claimed they found in his trash, to try and trash him. Just like the neocons trash anyone, who crosses them. Jay had crossed Cheney big time, when he didn't go along with the caper Cheney/Bush were involved in.

The day I saw Jay respond on TV to the political attack and the raid on his office trash can. I saw that Mr. Rockefeller was a very angry man and rightly so. He knew they were checking him out and he looked shaken and angry. Rockefeller always comes off cool and calm in public. I'd never seen Jay look so discombobulated on TV before, in all my years of seeing him on TV, or in person. At the time I thought I saw intense anger, but now I know I saw much, much, more. DAMN!

Hell, the neocons were probably bugging Jay's office, while they were going over the place pilfering, right down to digging in the man's trash. If Jay had laid a pile of fake dogshit, on top of his trash that evening he could probably could have thwarted Cheney's terraist attack on his garbage!

My tinfoil hat is in at warp 13... :tinfoilhat:

will be impeached and directly involved?

Think about it. Did Rockefeller have to hide away a copy to protect his own life from the Vice President of the United States? That is sure what it sounds like.

And he wouldn't even let his aides type the letter or anything. The handwriting is so hard to read as it is. He has scribble writing like my dad and boy is that hard to read.

Pete Dominici, R-Sen NM, Heather Wilson R-Rep. NM and Jeff Bingamen D-Sen NM asking for their stance (aside from idiot repsonses from Pete and Heather saying things have changed since 9-11) on the NSA under orders from the Bu$h Admininstration on spying on citizens with no supoena from the FISC and added this snippet:

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 prescribes procedures for requesting judicial authorization for electronic surveillance and physical search of persons engaged in espionage or international terrorism against the United States on behalf of a foreign power.

Requests are adjudicated by a special eleven member court called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Please send e-mails to your Legislative Branch Critters.

much they must have put on him in the way of pressure that he wouldn't say a word about it.

spelled (or spelt) 'there' activities as 'their' activities (grammar does help, not that the Maladmisistration could tell).
Is the letter still safe?!?!

It would indeed be disappointing to find a US Senator making that mistake.

He is a shameless liar.

The letter is very scary, as I was reading the letter, chill was going right through my spin!

Bush is a LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR!!!!!

And anyone who is on Bush's side should be thrown out too.

How's he going to spin this? He will, but it ain't gonna be very effective.

is gonna save his sorry ass.

Zerg Le Bastille...

Imua Ka Kou

IMPEACH NOW!!!!

These SOB's have got to be stopped.

Administration officials said congressional leaders had been briefed regularly on the program. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said there were no objections raised by lawmakers who were told about it.

"That's a legitimate part of the equation," McCain said. But he said Bush still needs to explain why he chose to ignore the law that requires approval of a special court for domestic wiretaps.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-spy19.html

found in Jay's trash. Then Cheney gave FOX a pat on the back when Dickey said on TV, that FOX was the only news he watched.

I don't think Al Capone wouldn't have been a worse president than Bush and I know that Al Capone couldn't top Cheney when it comes to handing out "CONTRACTS," or torturing and plundering this now less free country. Buy a Judge Here...Bribe a witness there...Threaten a witness here...Break a leg or a spirit there. Al Capone would be proud. Cheney offered Jay a deal he couldn't refuse, just like on a FOX movie of the weak.(minded) If the spy case ever goes to the highest court in the land, the guys there owe da Boss a few favors, so Cheney's covered, just like in the old days.

Has anybody seen that paddle? The Mother Of All Paddles ain't gonna get us out of shit creek, if someone don't soon corral the runaway VP and his less than trusty sidekick Cowboy Dumbya the chimp with the keys to the great nuklur pop gun.

Just to let you all know McCain is on the board of the republican committee that oversaw the ouster of the 1st democratically elected president in Haiti

that the Senators were not notified until 2003.

Here is a very important distinction to keep in mind: only four Senators, and only five members of the House, were notified. And they could not reveal any of the information - otherwise they would have been prosecuted for divulging classified information.

I believe it was also in 2002 that the Bush cartel decided they would reveal "sensitive" classified information to only these nine members of Congress.

These nine members of Congress were not asked for their concurrence with the illegal monitoring program; they were merely notified.

Therefore, it is just another Bush cartel lie when they say Congress was on board.

I am e-mailing all my rep (lot of good it will do-Hutchenson and Cornyn) But I demand a hearing and impeachment proceedings. This is an impeachable offense. If nothing is done, I will begin the process of immigration and will be out by 08. This is not the democracy invisioned by our founding fathers.

I am sick to death of the deception and corruption and exploitation and criminal activities by these tyrants!!! I want them charged, convicted and sentenced, for life!!!

This absolute arrogance for the law is proof that he should have been impeached last term:argh:

especially coming from one of the oldest blue-blood families in the country. I read a thread earlier and it was about the powers that be who are pulling the strings to get Bush out of power. The Rockefellers, IMHO, are part of that power group, so it's fascinating to see quiet Jay smack in the middle of it. It's those quiet ones you have to watch. :D