BREAKING! Daschle, Rockefeller and Pelosi Dispute Gonzo's Testimony re/Surveillance Program

[KoKo]

Pelosi: I Objected to Spying When Comey Did
By Spencer Ackerman - July 24, 2007, 7:41 PM

Tom Daschle. Jay Rockefeller. And now Nancy Pelosi.

That makes three members of the Gang of Eight -- the bipartisan congressional leadership briefed about President Bush's warrantless surveillance -- to dispute Alberto Gonzales's testimony that the Gang demanded the surveillance continue after a March 2004 briefing telling them that acting Attorney General James Comey refused to reauthorize the program.

"She made clear her disagreement with the program continuing despite Comey's objection," Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly tells TPMmuckraker. Pelosi was part of the Gang of Eight in her capacity as House Democratic leader in 2004.

So far we're waiting to hear back from GOP members of the Gang of Eight, as well as Jane Harman, then the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003770.php

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Methinks Gonzo perjured himself today

Time to look for new employment, Mr. Gonzales. Do you have any experience in the license plate industry?

[wildbilln864]

3. Bush will simply commute his sentence or pardo him!

These jackals know now they can get away with anything! IMHO! :grr:

[John Q. Citizen]

12. He will be gone in 18 months. Besides, the Dems have more important stuff to

deal with.

And I doubt the Dems have the 67 votes to remove him.

Besides, impeachment is off the table and bush has full confidence in his attorney general.

[ginnyinWI]

14. if it's perjury, is it "actionable"?

That would mean getting a special prosecutor appointed and starting proceedings. But it might be worth it just for the precedent it would set.

[kenny blankenship]

38. Possible problem: so far the gang of 8 contradicting Gonzo's testimony are Democrats

I can't imagine many Republicans being bothered by having to tell a lie in order to protect Gonzo's lie and the White House. If the essence of this perjury case comes down to Democrats saying the Atty. Gen. and the Republican members of the Gang of 8 are lying, and the Republicans saying that we are the ones who're lying, it will be a wash and we'll come out of it looking bad.

[On the Road]

39. I Would Love to Put That to the Test

Get all eight on the stand and see whose stories agree.

[lovuian]

2. Its so sad when a Attorney General perjures himself

so sad and thinks he is going to get away with it

[Swamp Rat]

4. Gitmo Gonzales already rues this day.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Catshrink]

6. That's one of your best, Swamp Rat!

:yourock:

[Cooley Hurd]

9. EEK!

So much for sleeping tonight...:scared:

[opihimoimoi]

15. Swampy.,...you iz da MAN....

[spanone]

18. Swampy hits a nerve......FANTASTIC....Gonzo at his finest.

[malaise]

19. LOL

Watch KOs video summary of Gonzo's hearings from yesterday.

[Dinger]

40. Wow Swampy, Just Wow

Deserves it's own thread if you ask me. Bravo!!!!!!:yourock:

[Swamp Rat]

41. Thanks y'all

:hi:

Finished this quickie a minute ago: :D

[libnnc]

5. Lovely! What's next?

.........

:shrug:

[Bongo Prophet]

7. It will be interesting to see what the GOP members will say

and whether they will be willing to testify under oath if necessary...

Gonzo is somewhat cornered here.
He's a slippery eel, but also the nexus of a lot of scams.
One chessboard square from Rove, knights move to Cheney, the whole torture/NSA/caging and all of that.

Ya can't cook an elephant in a matter of hours - it takes time- but I hope they baste it well. :evilgrin:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Could we at least get impeachment of the AG?

Oh never mind it's off the table

[Gregorian]

10. Something tells me that it's not far away.

Another truthiness moment from me. My gut says we're poised on the brink of impeaching Gonzo. And you know what. I wonder if that might be the way we move forward toward impeachment of Cheney.

I'm hoping.

[John Q. Citizen]

13. He will be gone in just 18 months anyway.

[BR_Parkway]

16. So what? Impeachment not only takes pardon away from Bush

it's the only Constitutional restraint on his power but it also tells everyone that we still believe in the rule of law. Hell, they just executed a man with a terminal illness (in TX IFRC). They could have just said, "he'll be gone in just 18 months anyway."

[John Q. Citizen]

35. I forgot my extreme sarcasm symbol. The need to impeach the whole

administration all at once.

They should initiate article of impeachment today against bush, cheney,and gonzo.

[OzarkDem]

27. Bullshit

Crimes deserve to be punished, not overlooked. If we leave these crooks in place for another 18 months, we may not have a government or even elections by the end.

When are the Dems who apologize for GOP crimes going to understand there is no electoral pot of gold at the end of the 2008 rainbow? Nothing is guaranteed, nothing.

[John Q. Citizen]

36. Yes, I agree. It's congress' implicit duty to impeach, the sooner the better.

I was being sarcastic

[NewJeffCT]

24. I'd be happy if they charged him with perjury and lying to Congress

That would be a start, at least.

[OzarkDem]

28. With every passing day

as Dem leaders in Congress fail to act and only mewl pathetically when Bushco flaunts their crimes, I'm more convince the Dems are being blackmailed.

They will not act, they won't do anything.

[Hydra]

11. You know, the only bad thing is who they have in mind next

I couldn't wait for Ashy to go- until I saw Gonzo. How is it that whenever they've used up someone's screen time, they have someone worse waiting in the wings?

[hootinholler]

17. Who, Harriet?

:rofl:

Welcome to DU!

-Hoot

[H2O Man]

20. Hello

Many, many years ago, I served as the editor for our high school's "underground" newspaper, The Hydra. Though "banned" by the school's administration -- or perhaps because it was banned -- every issue was a collector's item.

[NewJeffCT]

23. Welcome to DU, and I made this comment yesterday

it's a sad day for America when we can look back at John Ashcroft, whom I consider a radical loon, as having more integrity, competence and patriotism than the man who succeeded him as Attorney General, Alberto "Fredo" Gonzales.

[ThomWV]

21. You'd think he'd figure out that the 8 of them are still alive and someone might ask

Dumb son of a bitch.

[NewJeffCT]

22. "She made clear her disagreement with the program continuing despite Comey's objection," ??

Shouldn't it be that she disagreed with the program continuing because of Comey's objection? Or, at least in part, because of his objection?

[ProfessorGAC]

26. That; Confused Me, Too

I thought Pelosi and Comey were on the same side of this. Color me confused.
The Professor

[eggman67]

42. No it makes sense the way it is

"She made clear her disagreement with the program continuing despite Comey's objection," ??
Shouldn't it be that she disagreed with the program continuing because of Comey's objection? Or, at least in part, because of his objection?

It means the same thing it's just a more complicated way of putting it.

[OzarkDem]

25. Is Gonzo testifying under oath?

If so, this could make good grounds to impeach the guy.

Is there any way Dems in Congress can get a special prosecutor or independent counsel appointed to oversee this mess?

[bdamomma]

29. yes, he was under oath

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

30. NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM.

We still have to keep our powder dry for the really important stuff... we don't quite know what that stuff is yet, but we'll damn sure know when it gets here.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Gonzo will laugh and walk away. Again.

[mod mom]

31. On Harman-posted last night:

Jane Harman (Gang of 8)in Jan 2006- NSA Program doesn't Qualify as "Covert Action"


WASHINGTON D.C. ---- Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, today sent the following letter to President Bush:

January 4, 2006

The President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On December 17, 2005, six members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence requested a briefing for the full Committee concerning certain publicly-reported activities of the National Security Agency. As you know, since 2003, I have been a member of the so-called Gang of Eight – which includes the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate and the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the congressional intelligence committees. As a member of the Gang of Eight, I have received periodic briefings on highly classified programs. However, with respect to the NSA program that you have disclosed, I have reviewed the law and now believe that the practice of briefing only certain Members of the intelligence committees violates the specific requirements of the National Security Act of 1947.

The National Security Act requires that “The President shall ensure that the congressional intelligence committees are kept fully and currently informed of the intelligence activities of the United States . . . .” 50 U.S.C. § 413(a)(1). The Act makes clear that the requirement to keep the committees informed may not be evaded on the grounds that “providing the information to the congressional intelligence committees would constitute the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.” 50 U.S.C. § 413(e).

The Act provides for one exception to the President’s duty to keep all committee Members fully and currently informed of intelligence activities. In the context of a covert action, the President may, if he concludes that “it is essential . . . to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting vital interests of the United States,” limit notification to the Gang of Eight. 50 U.S.C. § 413b(c)(2). That procedure applies by the terms of the statute to covert actions, not intelligence collection activities.

-snip

The NSA program does not qualify as a “covert action.” That term is defined in the National Security Act as “activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent.” 50 U.S.C. § 413b(e). Covert actions, pursuant to the statute, do not include “activities the primary purpose of which is to acquire intelligence . . . .” 50 U.S.C. § 413b(e)(1).

-snip



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1426820&mesg_id=1426820

[KoKo]

32. Thanks for the Harmon Letter....So far...I don't see any media excpt TPM

talking about this.. :shrug:

[mod mom]

33. Maybe because...

(this is just a thought I picked up under the comment section @ Muckraker)

The gang of eight Dems were aware of the illegality of the program. Although they were not in power at the time of the briefing, they had the opportunity to do what Comey, Mueller and other threatened to do-that is resign. they did not. ONCE IN POWER, they should have DE_FUNDED the illegal program immediately. Failure to do so suggests complicity. It was suggested that this is perhaps why Pelosi took impeachment off the table.

If neither party wants it raised, their partners in the media would remain silent on it. Just a guess.

[KoKo]

34. pretty sad.....if that's what's going on.

[Supersedeas]

43. So Gonzo went to the ICU to explain that * will continue to break the law--OKayyay.

[Supersedeas]

37. His testimony was that the Gang of 8 sent him to the hospital room

[MiniMe]

44. No, his testimony was that he and Card were there on behalf of the President

But he implied that the gang of 8 knew he was going because of a meeting that day. He never directly answered the question "did anybody ask you to go".