Hoyer Cool To Repealing Wiretap Immunity

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(09-29) 10:31 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made clear Tuesday that he would be cool to a Senate proposal to take away the retroactive immunity now given to telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless wiretapping during the George W. Bush administration.

"I don't think that revisiting that issue is really going to get us anyplace," the Maryland Democrat said at a news conference.

His comment came a day after Senate Democrats Chris Dodd, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Russ Feingold and Jeff Merkley said they planned to introduce legislation to repeal a provision in a 2008 act granting immunity to telecom companies that helped the government spy on Americans in suspected terrorism cases.

The immunity issue was a key hang-up in a yearlong effort by Congress to come up with new rules about government surveillance and eavesdropping in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Bush signed the act into law in July, giving the Bush White House a victory in its demands for stronger tools to fight anti-terror threats. Civil liberties groups protested, saying it gave the government broad powers to conduct surveillance with little or no connection to terrorism.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/29/national/w103137D58.DTL

[ShortnFiery]

1. What dirt do the "powers that be" have on Hoyer? or Is this just his Blue Dog Insanity

"God Bless Our Surveillance State" mentality kicking in?

[Wizard777]

2. Perhaps Rep. Hoyer can explain the Constitutionality of a Congressional Pardon?

To the best of my knowledge only the Executive branch has the ability to pardon crimes. If Congress is offering Immunity for testimony about executive branch crimes. When can expect to see the Prosecutions on those crimes?

[Flaneur]

3. Which party is in power in Washington, DC, these days?

Coulda fooled me.

[fascisthunter]

4. so Steny Hoyer is for unconstitutional, fascist-like domestic policies

[truebrit71]

5. He's right, what would restoring the fourth amendment do for anyone anyway?

...Congresscritters have far more important things to do nowadays, like schill for their Inurance company pimps...:sarcasm:


Makes me fucking sick...

WHICH party does this guy represent???

:puke:

[Hubert Flottz]

6. Mr. Whoreyer must own some stock in those companies

that have been spying on their customers.

[OnyxCollie]

7. Keep those campaign funds comin'

[villager]

8. Hoyer cool on making actual stand on issue, offending donors

n/t

[flyarm]

9. not another dime of my money will go to anyone in the dem party..and not another days work..or my

time..I am so damn sick of these bastards!!!!!!!!!!!

[FreeStateDemocrat]

13. I'm right behind you, until they start acting like Democrats and not dino.corp whores.

[Generator]

10. He's right, we must look forward

Hmmm wonder where he gets his talking points?

[Steerpike]

11. Sigh...

There is a lot of that going around.

[Javaman]

12. "House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer"??

Okay, I'm probably wrong, but isn't Peloci the Majority leader?