House Intelligence Chairman: Bush Administration Withholds Key Information On Surveillance

[Hissyspit]

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/House_Intelligence_Chairman_Bush_administration_withholds_0725.html

House Intelligence Chairman: Bush administration withholds key information on surveillance
Michael Roston

As House Republicans and officials in the administration of President George W. Bush aggressively promoted reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said the executive branch had refused for almost two months to turn over key information on spying activities to Congress.

"It has been 54 days since Ranking Member Hoekstra and I sent a bipartisan letter requesting information from the Administration about its surveillance activities," said the Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Intelligence Committee Chairman, in a statement released to RAW STORY late on Tuesday. "Specifically, we asked for copies of the Presidential Authorizations and legal opinions for surveillance outside of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."

Reyes warned that failure to turn over the information could hold up the legislative changes sought by the White House and the Director of National Intelligence: "As we noted in our letter, the Committee cannot begin a serious evaluation of legislative proposals to alter the FISA system unless we have facts regarding legal authorities," Rep. Reyes added. "If the Administration is serious about the need for legislation in this area, the President will insist that Congress be given all of the facts."

Reyes' remarks came in response to a major Tuesday push by House Republicans to advance FISA reform legislation they insist is necessary. Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, introduced a FISA reform package on Tuesday.

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