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January 07, 2006BELTWAY BLOGROLL
CapitolLink: The Facts About Spying
The public furor over spying on Americans suspected of communicating with terrorists was enough to get Rep. Jane Harman blogging. The California Democrat joined the ranks of guest contributors at The Huffington Post to address the subject.
Harman is the top Democrat on the House Select Intelligence Committee and a member of the Homeland Security Committee, so she is not as quick as some Democrats to attack the Bush administration over the mechanics of the war against terrorism. But when it comes to allegations like those about the National Security Agency spying on Americans, she said Congress must be kept better informed.
"Now that the president has publicly disclosed the existence of a classified NSA program, I believe the full intelligence committees must be briefed," Harman wrote. "As I stated in a letter I sent the president yesterday, the president is required to keep the congressional intelligence committees 'fully and currently' informed of all intelligence activities."
She questioned the legality of "the practice of briefing only certain members of the intelligence committees." She also touted a bill, H.R. 4570, that would change the system for issuing "national security letters" to get data and records without judicial approval.
Michelle Malkin challenged Harman's view of the law. Although Malkin corrected her post after Think Progress ridiculed her "bogus legal theory," one aspect of Malkin's underlying criticism still seems valid.
"Rep. Harman was among those briefed on the NSA project during the past four years," Malkin said. "If she felt that President Bush was committing a felony by failing to brief all members of the congressional intelligence committees, why didn't she tell anyone until now?"
Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters also examines the "Buyer's Remorse" of Harman and other Democrats.
Posted by | 11:36 AM
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