Today's Article
An unclassified report
from US intelligence
agencies on the Bush
Administration’s
domestic spying
program has just been
released.
from US intelligence
agencies on the Bush
Administration’s
domestic spying
program has just been
released.
The American Spark
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Bush's Domestic Surveillance Program Report Released
By Cliff Montgomery - July 15th, 2009
Congress in 2008 instructed intelligence agency Inspectors General to draft an unclassified study on the Bush
Administration’s domestic spying program. That report was released on July 10th. It traces the beginnings and
the use of the spy program, and reviews the system's inherent legal issues.
Also, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) study entitled, Sensitive Covert Action Notifications:
Oversight Options for Congress, raises questions on how the Bush Administration and Congressional
intelligence leaders handled information regarding Bush's so-called "Terrorist Surveillance Program."
The Bush White House initially limited its Congressional notification of the domestic spying program to the
"Gang of Four"--an informal group made up of the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House
Intelligence Committees.
The Gang of Four, which has no basis in statute, often is notified when an administration creates sensitive
data collection programs.
But Department of National Intelligence (DNI) head Dennis Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee in his
pre-confirmation responses to Congressional questions that the domestic spy program in fact was not a covert
action--and thus knowledge of its existence never should have been limited to such a tiny fraction of
lawmakers.
CIA Director Leon Panetta in his pre-confirmation responses agreed that Bush's spying program was not a
covert action.
A CRS study released only yesterday, entitled, 'Gang of Four' Congressional Intelligence Notifications, relates
that such information may freely be told to other lawmakers on the intelligence panels:
"There arguably is no provision in statute that restricts whether and how the Chairman and Ranking Members
of the intelligence committees share with committee members information pertaining to intelligence activities
that the Executive Branch has provided only to the committee leadership," stated the report.
"Nor apparently is there any statutory provision which sets forth any procedures that would govern the access
of appropriately cleared committee staff to such classified information," added the CRS study.
And in fact, "there have been instances when intelligence committee leadership has decided to inform the full
membership of the intelligence committees of certain Gang of Four notifications."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - July 15th, 2009
Congress in 2008 instructed intelligence agency Inspectors General to draft an unclassified study on the Bush
Administration’s domestic spying program. That report was released on July 10th. It traces the beginnings and
the use of the spy program, and reviews the system's inherent legal issues.
Also, a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) study entitled, Sensitive Covert Action Notifications:
Oversight Options for Congress, raises questions on how the Bush Administration and Congressional
intelligence leaders handled information regarding Bush's so-called "Terrorist Surveillance Program."
The Bush White House initially limited its Congressional notification of the domestic spying program to the
"Gang of Four"--an informal group made up of the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House
Intelligence Committees.
The Gang of Four, which has no basis in statute, often is notified when an administration creates sensitive
data collection programs.
But Department of National Intelligence (DNI) head Dennis Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee in his
pre-confirmation responses to Congressional questions that the domestic spy program in fact was not a covert
action--and thus knowledge of its existence never should have been limited to such a tiny fraction of
lawmakers.
CIA Director Leon Panetta in his pre-confirmation responses agreed that Bush's spying program was not a
covert action.
A CRS study released only yesterday, entitled, 'Gang of Four' Congressional Intelligence Notifications, relates
that such information may freely be told to other lawmakers on the intelligence panels:
"There arguably is no provision in statute that restricts whether and how the Chairman and Ranking Members
of the intelligence committees share with committee members information pertaining to intelligence activities
that the Executive Branch has provided only to the committee leadership," stated the report.
"Nor apparently is there any statutory provision which sets forth any procedures that would govern the access
of appropriately cleared committee staff to such classified information," added the CRS study.
And in fact, "there have been instances when intelligence committee leadership has decided to inform the full
membership of the intelligence committees of certain Gang of Four notifications."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
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