Contact the Republican Leadership and Committee about Illegal Wiretapping

[helderheid]

According to reports in today’s Washington Post, Congress appears ready to abandon its oversight responsibility with regard to the Executive Branch’s NSA spying program. Don’t let them fold!

We wrote you yesterday about our four-point plan to secure our nation’s checks and balances, and one pillar of that plan is oversight. While a special prosecutor (demanded by the petition we launched yesterday) would support two other pillars – transparency and accountability – oversight from Congress is an absolutely essential check on presidential power.

We are asking you to call some unusual targets: Republican Leadership and Committee Chairs. The bottom line is that these men, listed below, will decide whether or not Congress fulfills its constitutional duties. If they choose to duck their responsibility, they must do so with the full knowledge that they are acting against the wishes of the American people.

That’s why you must call. The final pillar of our campaign, after all, is public vigilance.

Whether you call members of Congress regularly or even if you’ve never called a member of Congress before, pick up the phone and dial through this short list of four members – tell them you expect the United States Congress to live up to its oversight responsibilities and conduct a thorough investigation, including in-depth hearings, about the possible illegal activity taking place in the Executive Branch. If you want other talking points, visit http://www.pfaw.org/go/NSATalkingPoints.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Pat Roberts: 202-224-4774

House Intelligence Committee Chair Peter Hoekstra: 202-225-4401

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist: 202-224-3344

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert: 202-225-2976

Please tell us how your calls went by visiting http://pfaw.kintera.org/CallReport; we are curious to hear what these offices are telling the calling public.

-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

[Trevelyan]

1. K&R and Bookmarked -- thank you for the information

Please email Feingold with your support. Daily Kos may have diaries for actions tomorrow, I hope with Sen. Feingold's input.

Please Sign Sen. Feingold's petition to INVESTIGATE NSA and to HOLD BUSH
ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ILLEGAL ACTIONS AGAINST THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Sign his petition And make a contribution if you can.
<a href="http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/">http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/</a>

Sen. Feingold also has a petition at the above URL to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME
before December 2006.

FEINGOLD BLASTS FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM
Feingold: “The Intelligence Committee Has Abandoned Its Oversight Role.”
February 16, 2006

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold released the following statement this afternoon following the Intelligence Committee Meeting.

“The Intelligence Committee’s failure today to begin an investigation of the administration’s illegal domestic surveillance program is inexcusable. The Senate Committee charged with conducting oversight of intelligence matters has a responsibility to look more deeply into the President’s illegal secret wiretapping of Americans. The President has broken the law and Congress needs to hold him accountable.”

Statement of Senator Russ Feingold On the Latest on the Patriot Act
February 16, 2006

"The Majority Leader's concession to put off final votes on the Patriot Act deal for almost two weeks gives the Senate time to consider whether this deal is good for the country, and allows the American people their chance to be heard. Contrary to an erroneous news report, I will continue to oppose this flawed deal, insist that the Senate jump through every
procedural hoop, and demand the right to offer amendments to improve it. As Chairman Specter noted, the deal makes only "cosmetic" changes to the Patriot Act. No amount of cosmetics can disguise the fact that it fails to protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Americans."

***What explanation do the Democrats have for voting in favor of the Patriot Act?***

[Trevelyan]

2. Is Spector being blackmailed by Rove - Spector scandal

I read a comment over at TPM Cafe on this subject, and it bears repeating. That is, this news of Specter's alleged corruption comes immediately on the heels of news reports of Specter's continuing struggle with the White House over NSA domestic spying. He has requested appearances from Ashcroft, Comey, et cetera, and numerous internal DOJ documents for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.

Only yesterday Gonzales responded publicly and made clear that, hell no, the administration would not allow those individuals to testify regarding their participation in internal discussions while at DOJ with respect the NSA wiretapping, citing executive privilege among other grounds. Rest assured, we are not getting the full-blown, knock-down-drag-them-out story, that there is much going one behind the curtain.

So this latest "revelation" with respect to Specter -- while it may have legitimacy -- more likely than not is a Rovian plot a la SBVT to discredit Specter. Simply put, it's exhortation.

Pat Roberts' Senate Select Committee on Intelligence only yesterday opined that there is no need for an investigation, period. We'll, Roberts' committee, just retroactively amend the law to make the administration's illegal conduct legal. Heather Wilson's initial call for an investigation was overriden by Pete Hoekstra, and that committee in the House having caved in to administration demands, announced yesterday as well that it will only investigate whether FISA needs broadening to encompass these "new techniques."

So, clearly, Specter's committee represents the only remaining threat to the administration, and the adminstration's threats had little effect because Specter is not budging one iota in his demands, so the White House resorted once again to tried-and-true methodology (all-out guerilla warfare) and leaked to the media that the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee may himself be tarnished by the ballooning lobbyiing scandals. Perhaps that is the reasoning behind Specter's immediate calls for an investigation of his office yesterday

[helderheid]

3. thanks for that info!!

[jsamuel]

4. set up this website to help

Senate:
http://truthdigger.blogspot.com/2006/02/senator-russ-feingold-asks-us-to-call.html

House:
http://truthdigger.blogspot.com/2006/02/contact-house-republicans-about-nsa.html