Changing the Status Quo: Congressional Oversight of the CIA

[maddezmom]

With the recent passage of the first intelligence authorization bill in six years, congressional oversight of covert action will expand to unprecedented levels.

According to the Washington Post, in most instances the entire membership of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) will be permitted to attend briefings detailing the CIA’s covert action programs. In the past, these types of briefings were limited to the so-called “Gang of Eight”, a group that was limited to the party leadership in both, the House and the Senate, as well as the chairs and ranking minority members of the HPSCI and SSCI. In extremely sensitive operations, the bill grants the White House authority to restrict the briefings to the Gang of Eight; even then the full committees will still receive a “general description” of the contents of the presidential finding that was required to launch the covert action program.

Despite the best intentions of the bill’s authors, it is unlikely that this additional oversight will reduce the number of legally (and morally) questionable activities the CIA undertakes. In fact, since the reforms resulting from the 1970s-era Church Committee, Congress has had more briefings and more access to classified material than ever before, yet programs such as Iran-Contra, warrantless wiretapping, and enhanced interrogation were still were carried out.

This is not necessarily because congressmen are shirking their responsibilities. As former congressman and vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission Lee Hamilton pointed out in a 2005 USA Today article, “The system relies on trust that the White House will accurately describe its programs and that lawmakers will keep secrets.”

While the intelligence committees have, for the most part earned the intelligence community’s trust in terms of not leaking sensitive programs, the executive branch has not always held up its end of the bargain. For example, in 2009, it was revealed that the CIA, under orders from former Vice President Dick Cheney, had neglected to inform Congress about a secret counterterrorism program. Although the program never became operational, it solidified what many congressmen have long believed: the CIA is not forthcoming with information in their briefings with Congress. It is difficult to oversee an operation effectively if basic information is not provided.

more:http://www.iar-gwu.org/node/204

[ThomCat]

1. Right now the FBI is doing a hell of a lot of illegal shit

and who knows what other agencies are doing it too, especially by spying on US Citizens. Homeland Security? Almost certainly.

But the court has ruled that we have no right to know. None.

So will Congress take a greater oversight role over them too?

Will we ever get our civil rights back? Will the Bill Of Rights ever be Operative again? It would be nice to have the 4th, 6th, and 8th amendments back.

[formercia]

2. Congress won't get the information they need

unless they know the right questions to ask and who to ask them to.