Edited on Thu Sep-20-07 09:24 AM by L. Coyote
Emptywheel has a good analysis of Keisler's role as AT&T lawyer and AAG, and where that overlap has significance.
This analysis points out how the AAG, under the new Protect America Act, has a role in unwarranted surveillance authorizations.
Was this the plan when FISA was amended, to have Keisler making decisions on who gets spied on, while Congress thought it would be Clement?
Was Clement just the temporary poster boy in a false flag operation to make Congress think the DoJ was to have a new day.
Well, the DoJ had a new day, but only one. Clement was at the helm for a mere day and no Special Prosecutors were appointed.
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September 17, 2007
The United States of AT&T
by emptywheel
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2007/09/the-united-stat.htmlBack in June, the Bush Administration invited one of AT&T's key lobbyists, Ed Gillespie, to serve as White House counselor.... days after Gillespie took over that role, the DOJ made an unusual intervention into the FCC's request for comments on Net Neutrality, weighing against Net Neutrality.
Well today, one of AT&T's former key attorneys, Peter Keisler, just took over the Department of Justice.
....
In June 2006, Keisler was one of a number of government lawyers arguing that New Jersey had no legal authority to subpoena documents relating to AT&T's and other telecomm companies' participation in the warrantless wiretapping program. Also in June 2006, Keisler invoked state secrets in Hepting v. AT&T, an attempt to scuttle the citizen lawsuits on the warrantless wiretap program.
In other words, both in and out of government, Keisler has represented AT&T's interests masterfully.
Which makes it rather disconcerting that the AG has the authority to authorize telecomm companies to cooperate in government spying.
......
Basically, Bush just gave AT&T the ability to have its long-time lawyer give it legal authority to collaborate with the government to spy on citizens.
And in case you're worried that AT&T is stuck with no good legal representation, having lost Keisler, rest assured. You see, former Associate White House Counsel Brad Berenson (who also happens to be Kyle Sampson and Susan Ralston's lawyer) has taken over for Keisler and is working on the AT&T case, among other things.