Scott McClellan is lying about Al Gore.

[trogdor]

He also thinks people don't know how to Google his bullshit.

Here's the bullshit:

President Clinton ordered warrantless searches of Aldrich Ames' residence in connection with Ames' subsequent conviction for espionage. Al Gore is therefore a hypocrite for calling out George W. Bush for the warrantless wiretaps yesterday.

Here's the truth (fifth paragraph, if you can handle it):

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (hereinafter "the Committee") received its initial briefing regarding the case on the day the arrests were publicly announced. The facts contained in the affidavit supporting the arrest and search warrants were summarized by representatives of the FBI.

So which is it, Scotty? Did President Clinton order Ames' residence to be searched without a search warrant, or did he not?

More importantly, when will the press wise up and Google Scotty on the fly and call him on his BS while the TV cameras are still on? It took me about a second and a half to prove Scotty's a stinking liar.

[trogdor]

1. Kick for new title.

I usually don't do this, but the new title is more descriptive.

[VOX]

2. Great post. Kick to top. n/t

[samhsarah]

3. can you fix the "bullshit " link?

it just links to microsoft.com:shrug:

[Junkdrawer]

12. Better link: (OP needs to have the http:// removed from the link shortcut)

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060117/D8F6GR08O.html

[samhsarah]

14. thanks!

:+

[trogdor]

16. Done.

Wouldn't want anyone to go without their maximum recommended daily requirement of bullshit. I hear Scotty's bullshit is fortified with 12 essential vitamins and minerals.

[samhsarah]

23. lol

:rofl:

[Maraya1969]

29. I can't seem to get the Peanut's teacher out of my head when he talks

A loud WHAA WHAA WHAA every time he opens his mouth.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. He just referenced the same thing at the WH briefing.

Helen tried to call him on it.

[Maggie_May]

5. Scotty if the Bush administration

thinks they are right on these taps then bring them to FISA and the senate intelligence committee. I sure you have records of who you tapped. Whats the problem Scotty? This still will not justify the illegal taps buy it sure will let the courts and the intelligence committee know who were tapping.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Yes

Someone should ask him why did Bush not go to the FISA courts if it was in the name of terrorism and for a good cause? Why did that one judge from the court resign?

[Maggie_May]

18. I think these are good questions why isn't anyone asking them

My God why isn't anyone asking them. I am no reporter I have no college degree but I do have some common sense.

[TahitiNut]

26. Therein lies the total and complete hypocrisy of Bush/Cheney

They repeatedly ARGUE (as though they were in some court!) that they're acting in accord with the powers of the President but are REFUSING to obtain the affirmation (finding! ruling!) of such powers from the Judiciary! In the very act of claiming they have such delegated powers they are proving they DO NOT have such powers in the (already stated?) view of the Judiciary. If neither the Judicial Branch nor the Legislative Branch can identify and affirm such legal powers, where they are the sole arbiters of the law and Constitution, then the Executive Branch cannot proclaim such powers since the Executive Branch's SOLE role is to enforce and obey the laws as defined and interpreted by the OTHER branches!

Such proclamation of legality under the role of the Executive Branch is in and of itself outside the powers of the Executive Branch!

[rpgamerd00d]

6. 7th paragraph

"In the meantime, the Committee continued to receive off-the-record briefings from the FBI and CIA regarding the progress of the ongoing investigation. The searches of Ames's office and residence conducted after the arrests yielded additional evidence of his relationship with the KGB and, since 1991, with its successor intelligence service, the SVR. Indeed, it appeared that Ames may have received approximately $2.5 million for the information he provided. It was clear the case represented a security breach of disastrous proportions."

[The Witch]

7. Send this to Think Progress

They are making it sound like the search was unwarranted; this is a big find and I bet they post it because it makes their position even stronger.

[trogdor]

22. Done.

Pasted in the text from the version of this post on my webpage, which contains the three links.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. When does he not lie??

He's a mouth piece and his job is to lie to protect Bush. He isn't a real press secretary.

[gumby]

9. L I A R

Simple Scotty is a Major League L I A R

Simple Scotty: Al Gore's hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Me: FU, ya L I A R

[sojourner]

10. press not clueless...worse -- press part of the ministry of misinformation

or they are deliberately ignoring the facts so that they can keep their fairly lucrative and prestigious positions.

[TheFarseer]

13. Why don't republicans want to keep us safe?

from Soviet Communists?

[w8liftinglady]

15. Excellent post-I recommend a media blast

[samhsarah]

17. dumb question, i know, but.....

how do you do a "media blast"?

[w8liftinglady]

21. not dumb-

you email every news outlet that you can...DU has a good site to get you started-I'll see if I can find others
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cu/cu.php?az=blaster

[samhsarah]

25. thanks!

will do.:patriot:

[lpbk2713]

19. LIVE ..... From the BushCo Propaganda Ministry

"It's Scotty's Dog n Pony Show!



Bring on the clowns.

[rpgamerd00d]

20. Wrong case, guys.

From user papau: (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x164319)

From Media Matters:

While Gorelick did express concerns that the highly restrictive requirements that apply to criminal searches might "restrict the President's ability to collect foreign intelligence," she stated that such "ability" would not be infringed upon if these searches were to be governed by "the basic provisions" of FISA:

GORELICK: Nevertheless, I reiterate the Administration's willingness to support appropriate legislation that does not restrict the President's ability to collect foreign intelligence necessary for the national security. We need to strike a balance that sacrifices neither our security nor our civil liberties.

If we can achieve such a balance -- and I believe we can if we use the basic provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- we can accomplish a number of things.

Furthermore, York's claim that, even after FISA had been amended to require court orders for physical searches, Clinton "still maintained that he had sufficient authority to order such searches on his own" is false, according to Think Progress. Following the 1995 amendment, the Clinton administration never argued that the president's "inherent authority" allowed him to bypass FISA, as the Bush administration has done in the case of its domestic surveillance activities.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0512210142dec21,0,3553632.story?coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed

In the Supreme Court's 1972 Keith decision holding that the president does not have inherent authority to order wiretapping without warrants to combat domestic threats, the court said explicitly that it was not questioning the president's authority to take such action in response to threats from abroad.

Four federal courts of appeal subsequently faced the issue squarely and held that the president has inherent authority to authorize wiretapping for foreign intelligence purposes without judicial warrant.

FISA contains a provision making it illegal to "engage in electronic surveillance under color of law except as authorized by statute." The term "electronic surveillance" is defined to exclude interception outside the U.S., as done by the NSA, unless there is interception of a communication "sent by or intended to be received by a particular, known United States person" (a U.S. citizen or permanent resident) and the communication is intercepted by "intentionally targeting that United States person." The cryptic descriptions of the NSA program leave unclear whether it involves targeting of identified U.S. citizens. If the surveillance is based upon other kinds of evidence, it would fall outside what a FISA court could authorize and also outside the act's prohibition on electronic surveillance.

FISA does not anticipate a post-Sept. 11 situation. What was needed after Sept. 11, according to the president, was surveillance beyond what could be authorized under that kind of individualized case-by-case judgment. It is hard to imagine the Supreme Court second-guessing that presidential judgment.

But we cannot eliminate the need for extraordinary action in the kind of unforeseen circumstances presented by Sept.11. I do not believe the Constitution allows Congress to take away from the president the inherent authority to act in response to a foreign attack (SO NAME THE FOREIGN POWER THAT ATTACKED US????). That inherent power is reason to be careful about who we elect as president, but it is authority we have needed in the past and, in the light of history, could well need again.

----------

John Schmidt served under President Clinton from 1994 to 1997 as the associate attorney general of the United States. He is now a partner in the Chicago-based law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.

[sandnsea]

24. Different search

The search you referenced is what led to the subsequent request for search warrants and arrest. I don't understand his explanation for the warrantless search, I think because it was espionage, it was in a different category. But from everything I've read, it did happen.

The key points though, are that it happened ONCE, and that they changed the law so what Clinton did isn't relevant anyway.

[troubleinwinter]

27. Clinton did NOT violate FISA

1. Prior to 1995, FISA did not cover physical searches. (With Clinton’s signature, the law was expanded to cover physical searches in 1995.) The search of Aldrich Ames home occurred in 1993. It did not violate FISA.

2. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified in 1994 that the President could conduct warrantless physical searches, before FISA required physical searches to be conducted pursuant to a warrant. Gorelick was arguing that the President could conduct warrantless physical searches in the absence of Congressional action. At no time did she suggest that, after Congress required the President to obtain a warrant, the executive branch could ignore the law, nor is there any evidence the Clinton administration failed to comply with FISA.
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/17/gonzales-smears-gore/

[Carni]

33. In ADDITION

AMES WAS CHARGED WITH A CRIME and was afforded legal representation and his day in court!

IF Ames had not plead guilty--a judge could have ruled against allowing the evidence from the physical search...

Bush is not going through the OIPR or FISA--the Bush admin is spying on whoever they please with no oversight, or documentation, what-so-ever.

Who are these people?

Are these people charged with anything?

Whisked away in the middle of the night to secret torture chambers?

We have no way of knowing because it's *classified*

Clinton DID NOT *Do the same thing* -- that assertion by the white house is BULLSHIT.

We didn't have gitmo or flying torture planes in 1994--these assholes insult my intelligence.

[Junkdrawer]

34. And they got a FISA warrant BEFORE the search...

The physical search was prompted by the LEGAL gathering of evidence from a FISA ordered phone tap. And, at the time, Reagan's Executive finding was the law of the land. When controversy emerged after Reagan's Executive finding was used, FISA was extended to cover physical searches.

Aldrich Ames spy case is not an example of illegal warrantless wiretaps or searches by the Clinton Administration.

Ever since it was revealed that President Bush authorized warrantless wiretaps of Americans, Republican strategists have been scrambling to find precedents for his illegal activities in earlier administrations, or case law that would legitimize extra-legal surveillance at the behest of the cheif executive.

They haven't been able to find any, but the attempt is rather fun to watch.

....

In reality, the Ames case is a textbook example of how the FBI was able to uncover a deadly foreign agent without the use of extra-legal authority from the President.

The FBI followed proper protocol for searches of Ames's home and office through the Attorney Generals (AG) office. Also, as required by FISA, all electronic surveillance of Ames was authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. According to Aldrich Ames's Criminal Complaint form:

"Paragraph 11: As a result of information obtained through electronic surveillance authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, searches authorized by the Attorney General pursuant to section 2.5 of Executive Order 12333, trash covers, and other investigation which is detailed herein, I believe AMES has traveled abroad to meet surreptitiously with KGB/SVRR."

...

http://www.brainshrub.com/aldrich-ames-case

[Maraya1969]

28. What a great idea about the instant GOOGLE!!! K&R

"More importantly, when will the press wise up and Google Scotty on the fly and call him on his BS while the TV cameras are still on? It took me about a second and a half to prove Scotty's a stinking liar."

[smoogatz]

30. How it works now:

Bushco critics point out Bush is breaking the law/lying/cheating/stealing/fucking up.

Bushco responds quickly and vehemently, in numerous, simultaneous outlets with a single message, invariably not based entirely in fact and often an outright lie, the upshot of which is usually to blame Clinton, and/or to accuse the critic of committing the exact same sin Bushco is guilty of.

The media reports the response in greater detail and more frequently than the initial criticism, without fact-checking, and with the caveat that both positions--critic and Bushco--are essentially "spin" (half-truth or outright lie). No examination of the relative merits of the arguments is performed--that would require unbiased expertise, which is far beyond the intellectual powers of the news-models and doesn't make for very interesting TV. The news-models report the debate as "politics as usual" without delving--at all--into the substance of said debate.

Two days later, attractive blonde teenager turns up missing in Bolivia. Bushco critique slides down memory hole, and except on DU it's as though it never happened. Americans, feeling inexplicably uneasy, drink their soma and settle down for an evening of Fear Factor.

[Mossadeq]

31. This is the criminal complaint form..

http://www.jya.com/ames.htm

This is what it says..

11. As a result of information obtained through
electronic surveillance authorized by the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court, searches authorized by the Attorney General
pursuant to section 2.5 of Executive Order 12333, trash covers,
and other investigation which is detailed herein, I believe AMES
has traveled abroad to meet surreptitiously with KGB/SVRR

This is from Executive Order 12333... http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/eo12333.html

"The Attorney General hereby is delegated the power to approve the use for intelligence purposes, within the United States or against a United States person abroad, of any technique for which a warrant would be required if undertaken for law enforcement purposes, provided that such techniques shall not be undertaken unless the Attorney General has determined in each case that there is probable cause to believe that the technique is directed against a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power. Electronic surveillance, as defined in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, shall be conducted in accordance with that Act, as well as this Order."

Here is more from the form...

"Paragraph 18: Based on information acquired in an electronic surveillance of AMES' personal computer and software within his residence, which was authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, on or about October 9, 1993, along with other information obtained through electronic surveillance and other means, I believe "B" refers to Bogota, Colombia. From electronically stored documents located in AMES' personal computer, "North" has been identified as a signal site used by the SVRR to contact AMES, and "Pipe" is a dead drop used by the SVRR to pass messages, instructions, and cash to AMES. In this message, AMES indicated he could not be contacted from the 13th through l9th of September. I have been advised by CIA officials and learned through electronic surveillance that AMES traveled to Turkey on official business on or about September 13 and returned to the U.S. on or about September 17, 1993.

Paragraph 28: Based on several factors, including but not limited to the following, I believe AMES signaled his assent to the November meeting in Bogota by placing a chalk mark at the mailbox, "SS Smile", on or about October 13, 1993:
a. First, on or about October 12, 1993, FBI Special Agents monitored, by means of electronic surveillance authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a discussion between AMES and his wife ROSARIO AMES, substantially as follows: <snip>

Paragraph 48: Based on information obtained through electronic surveillance authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, I believe AMES also owns two condominium apartments and a farm in Colombia. The condominiums are in Bogota and Cartagena; the farm is referred to as the "Guajira.""

[carolinalady]

32. Near the bottom of the document:

<snip>


This effort led the FBI to begin an intensive investigation of Ames. Under applicable Attorney General guidelines, this meant that the FBI was able to seek authority under pertinent laws and Justice Department guidelines to employ a full array of investigative techniques against Ames. For instance, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issued orders authorizing electronic surveillance of Ames's office and residence. Other surveillance techniques used against Ames included mail cover (i.e., deriving information from envelopes addressed to and from Ames), and a clandestine monitor installed in his car to track his movements.

<snip>

[Surya Gayatri]

35. Creative lying is part

of his job description. One of Stephanie Miller's nicknames for him is "the Prezdint's official Spokesliar". He certainly carries it off with bravado. You'd think by the time he picks up his papers and stalks off of the podium, the flames would be flickering out of the backside of his pants. SG

[RobertSeattle]

36. Sure Scotty, Sure

And that librul GOP Congress 1994-2000 let Clinton get away with it!

[bunny planet]

37. our only hope in the corporate media.

send it to Keith Olbermann. He loves to show 'simple' Scotty's press conferences in all their obfuscating glory and he doesn't like hypocrisy much either. [e-mail]
Time for the press to stop being complicit in the lies, are they Americans or not. Step up.

[sojourner]

38. ummm. just figure that out?

kidding...really!! :hi:

[chat_noir]

39. K&R

[helderheid]

40. Hey burnanator!

[King Coal]

41. There is on other huge difference here.

This is about a specific case. Where has * and Scotty mentioned even one specific case?

[trogdor]

42. Thank you all for your support.

AP has sic'd the truth on Scotty's "truthiness."

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/17/ap-reports-facts/

McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton’s deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants.

“I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds,” McClellan said of Gore.

But at the time of the Ames search in 1993 and when Gorelick testified a year later, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act required warrants for electronic surveillance for intelligence purposes, but did not cover physical searches. The law was changed to cover physical searches in 1995 under legislation that Clinton supported and signed.

Bush’s attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, made the same arguments as McClellan during interviews Monday on CNN’s “Larry King Live” and Fox News Channel’s “Hannity & Colmes.”