Report: Congress May Launch Big Bush Spying Investigation

[babylonsister]

Massive Domestic Spying Investigation Coming Soon?
By Andrew Tilghman - July 23, 2008, 10:37AM


After Democrats failed to muster any substantive opposition to the Bush White House's overhaul of domestic spying laws just a few weeks ago, it would be a striking turn of events if the House leadership launched into a massive, multi-decade investigation of how the government has been monitoring its own citizens since the Cold War.

But that's what Salon speculates about today in a far-reaching report from Capitol Hill.

While reporting on domestic surveillance under Bush, Salon obtained a detailed memo proposing such an inquiry, and spoke with several sources involved in recent discussions around it on Capitol Hill. The memo was written by a former senior member of the original Church Committee; the discussions have included aides to top House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, and until now have not been disclosed publicly.


That's pretty interesting. This Democratic leadership doesn't seem to have done anything over the past couple years to suggest it is about to launch a broad, sweeping investigation into highly sensitive national security-related issues. (They haven't even really questioned the president on his hugely unpopular Iraq policies).

Reporter Tim Shorrock reaches as far back as the Regean Administration and culls evidence of a secret and potentially illegal database maintained by the National Security Administration called "Main Core." The existence of such a database has been the subject of speculation for years, but never confirmed. This database would presumably be the focus of any large-scale congressional investigation.

The investigation under consideration would be rare in its scope, potentially encompassing both Republican and Democratic administrations.


more...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/massive_domestic_spying.php

[VP505]

1. "Congress May Launch "

Ya, sure they will, just like Pelosi was going to drain the swamp a year and a half ago!

[NightWatcher]

2. he's been spying since 2000 and we are maybe going to investigate him with 6 months left?

wow, excuse me but I feel a tad underwhelmed. The only thing Congress can do in less than six months is vote themselves a pay raise. Nothing will be done and if it is, Bush will be packing his bags before it happens.

This is a pathetic attempt to pacify us by claiming that they are going to do something. It is transparent and an insult. They knew he's been doing this for YEARS but they wait till election season to show us that they are working for us.

[Why Syzygy]

3. Watched "Born on the 4th of July"

last night. It occurred to me while watching the protests from that era that the main thing that has changed since then is there is much more surveillance. I think that's why we see fewer protests and people taking a stand.

[mediaman007]

4. No wonder the RWers were all over Clinton from the beginning. They were

on him about the FBI records and all the other stuff. Probably, it was the smoke screen and pressure to keep the Clinton people away from the NSA stuff. On the other hand, Clinton may have used the NSA information to his own advantage.

Personally, I'm all for getting this information out in the open.

[wvbygod]

5. Bush has been in charge since the cold war?

>>massive, multi-decade investigation of how the government has been monitoring its own citizens since the Cold War.

That's quite a stone throw from: Big Bush Spying Investigation

I'd start with Hoover.