CSpan caller makes good point - Congress not consulted until 2004...

[FormerRepublican]

...on illegal spying. How does that comply with the rules to keep the intel committee informed? Isn't that also a violation of law to start the program and not inform Congress until many years later?

[carolinalady]

1. no not true-the big eight knew much earlier-it was only after the

NYT found out that they discussed changing the legislation.

[FormerRepublican]

2. OK, then when was Congress first informed - before or after it started?

[carolinalady]

4. my understanding is after the program started

[FormerRepublican]

5. I watched the hearings today and recall it as Sparkly does...

[carolinalady]

7. here is a link of the letter written by Senator Rockefellar-

it is dated July 2003. pdf link:

http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2005/12/rock121905.pdf

[Sydnie]

6. Rockefeller's letter was in July of 2003

I would bet that they were hoping to make it appear that they didn't begin this until after the war began. Chances are, that is what they will say is under this "program's" umbrella. What happend before that will be called something totally different.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. I thought Leahy said that the Congress found out when the NYT's

reported it. That's when he made the CYA remark.

[Sparkly]

3. Leahy made that point after the lunch break VERY well...

He pinned him down on dates -- and it was one of several points where Gonzales was "fuzzy" at best.

WHEN did the Preznit authorize this? Sometime between 9/11 and passage of the patriot act.
WHEN did you notify Congress? In 2004.
And when was the "program" suspended? When the NYTimes was getting ready to spill the beans.
WHY? Won't answer.

Was it used before that authorization?
Was it used on US-US communications?
Does the same reasoning allow the preznit to order searches of people's homes and medical records etc.?
-- NONE of these "operational" questions would he answer.