Cheney defends search of bank records

[tocqueville]

20 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said a secret program allowing U.S. officials to examine thousands of private banking records around the world was a legal and "absolutely essential" weapon in the war on terror, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Speaking at a fund-raiser for Republican congressional candidates in Chicago on Friday, Cheney criticized the media for disclosing the program, which is run by the CIA in conjunction with the Treasury Department.

For nearly five years since the September 11 attacks, the Treasury Department has been tapping into records of the Brussels-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, or SWIFT, for evidence of potential activity by terror groups.

The records examined mostly involve wire transfers and other methods of moving money overseas or into and out of the United States.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060624/ts_nm/security_swift_dc_1

[lonestarnot]

1. Yeah ugh hugh sure.

The records examined mostly involve wire transfers and other methods of moving money overseas or into and out of the United States

[Gormy Cuss]

8. It's the "mostly" part of that statement that is most worrisome.

Setting aside whether it's legal or appropriate for the government to spy on its own citizens this way, we're being told the story in a way that makes it sound least threatening for the average American with foreign contacts. What I would like to know is what are the exceptions?

I suspect that if there isn't an uproar over this, next we'll hear that they've been running the same sort of analysis on domestic transactions.

[checkmate1947]

2. Wonder if that means Rove's

Wonder if that means they are checking Rove's offshore acct.
along with Ambramoff, 

[marmar]

3. So if you withdraw 200 euros from an ATM in Paris?

Are you going to get a beat down at U.S. customs when you come home?

This administration is not to be trusted - at all. Have the Democratic National Committee's bank transactions been monitored? Or how about MoveOn's or Progressive Majority's? Sadly, I suspect we'll find out one day that they were.

[MiniMe]

4. GET A WARRANT, then its legal.

[dogday]

5. Wonder how many Democratic Politician's bank

accounts have been looked at?? Just sayin :shrug:

[wug37]

6. Why isn't this story much bigger?

This seems like a very important story. I know that I'm quite distressed about it. But I haven't seen any discussion about it at all. The post about the main story didn't even make the greatest page as far as I know. Why aren't more people upset about this?

[Flubadubya]

10. Because "7 Terraists" were just caught...

haven't you heard? It was right about the time this bank story "broke", but you will hear none of it. Get the point?

Good old Corporate Media... always there to lend a helping hand to BushCo. :puke:

[dogday]

11. Bingo

typical action when they are trying to hide something important...

[napi21]

7. Did you hear Johnathan Turley on KO's show yesterday about this?

Turley is hardly a Dem at all, but h's very strong on the fact that a US Prez cannot simply say searches are legal "because I said so!" He also said the searches of banking records was done by a third party company, so the Admin is saying "Hey, WE didn't invade your privacy, this other company did!" Turley said that was the worst example of the fed. gov't outsourcing a task, and falsely calling it legal!

I sure hope that panel from the ABA is working hard to hang these AH's!!!!!

[doc mercer]

9. Cheney

Comforting thought to know Scarface approves

[Loge23]

12. The Constitution used to be "absolutely essential"

The dark lord is indeed absolutely essential to the continued destruction of our fundamental rights in America.
Electronic eavesdropping? "Why worry - only the guilty should be concerned!"
Warrantless home invasions by police? "We have to support law enforcment!"
Government surrveillance of our bank records? "(See support excuse #1)"

Re-education camps for non-Repukes? "I needed a vacation anyway!"

What a great country we used to have.