Telecom Companies Secretly Lobby for Retroactive Immunity

[populistdriven]

This is all being done to cover-up Bush's secret executive order. The congressional Democrats better not fold on this one. The Telco's knew exactly what they were doing and that it was illegal. Other than retroactive immunity their only out is to expose the order from Bush.

By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20884696/site/newsweek/

Sept. 20, 2007 - The nation’s biggest telecommunications companies, working closely with the White House, have mounted a secretive lobbying campaign to get Congress to quickly approve a measure wiping out all private lawsuits against them for assisting the U.S. intelligence community’s warrantless surveillance programs.

The campaign—which involves some of Washington's most prominent lobbying and law firms—has taken on new urgency in recent weeks because of fears that a U.S. appellate court in San Francisco is poised to rule that the lawsuits should be allowed to proceed.

If that happens, the telecom companies say, they may be forced to terminate their cooperation with the U.S. intelligence community—or risk potentially crippling damage awards for allegedly turning over personal information about their customers to the government without a judicial warrant.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say the U.S. intelligence community is in a near-panic about this,” said one communications industry lawyer familiar with the debate who asked not to be publicly identified because of the sensitivity surrounding the issue.

~snip~

more - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20884696/site/newsweek/

[Mojorabbit]

1. Oh hell no!

they knew it was againsts the law when they did it and they should be held accountable

[Trillo]

2. I agree "they better not fold."

It'll be a real test of our representatives loyalty to the constitution.

K&R

[populistdriven]

7. They will proably try to say that this will all be uncovered by the next admin.

Why would that happen if the Dems get millions from the Telcos?

If they want this to be uncovered why would they support covering it up and let Bush off the hook?

[BlooInBloo]

3. Yup. And the worst of it is that Democrats are supporting it. Sigh....

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/09/22/telecom_immunity/index.htmlj

Following up on Jim Risen's NYT article this week reporting that Congressional Democrats appeared likely to agree to some form of retroactive immunity for telecom companies which illegally enabled the Bush administration's warrantless eavesdropping on Americans (thus compelling dismissal most of the remaining lawsuits challenging the illegality of the eavesdropping), Newsweek's Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball reported the same thing:

Congressional staffers said this week that some version of the proposal is likely to pass -- in part because of a high-pressure lobbying campaign warning of dire consequences if the lawsuits proceed.

[populistdriven]

4. Then our entire government should be impeached, this is the heart of the constitution

The Supreme Court won't do anything. What other recourse is there?

[BlooInBloo]

5. It's almost laughable, because this is Congress weakening ITSELF. Worthless pieces of shit.

[populistdriven]

6. The argument that this is being done to allow the Telco's to cooperate with the investig. is also

(laughable) They can't argue that while the

"Telecom companies say, they may be forced to terminate their cooperation with the U.S. intelligence community—or risk potentially crippling damage awards for allegedly turning over personal information about their customers to the government without a judicial warrant."

Their own argument proves this is being done to continue the status quo.

[Gman]

8. Give 'em immunity if they'll agree to testify against Bush, Cheney, et al

You can't imprison a corporation anyway.