Gonzales to Testify on Domestic Spying

[Waya]

Washington - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday he will testify publicly at a Senate hearing on the Bush administration's domestic spying program, in the face of questions from lawmakers and legal analysts about whether it is lawful.

Gonzales said he reached an agreement with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to answer questions about the legal basis for the National Security Agency's warrantless eavesdropping on telephone conversations between suspected terrorists and people in the United States.

"We believe the legal authorities are there," Gonzales said at a news conference at the Justice Department. "The president acted consistent with his legal authority in a manner that he thought was necessary and appropriate to protect the country against this new kind of threat."

The attorney general said he will not discuss operational aspects of the program at the hearing, which is expected to occur next month. Specter said Sunday that he had asked Gonzales to testify publicly.


http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011306R.shtml

[robbedvoter]

1. Then why reassure us that he didn't? And why before 911?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040420-2.html
"Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so."


http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011306Z.shtml



    Bush Authorized Domestic Spying Before 9/11

    James Risen, author of the book State of War and credited with first breaking the story about the NSA's domestic surveillance operations, said President Bush personally authorized a change in the agency's long-standing policies shortly after he was sworn in in 2001.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. It's kinda funny that Alberto probably already knows the questions

because the Congressmen's offices are all bugged.