If the Bush Administration's unconstitutional warrantless spying program wasn't already making you uncomfortable, you probably won't be relieved to learn that the latest Administration candidate for perjury will be expected to report to congress on abuses.
Gonzalez is also required to provide semiannual reports to the House and Senate intelligence and Judiciary committees, which are to include any accounts of abuse or noncompliance that Justice and intelligence officials discover in their internal reviews.
Yeah, well AGAG hasn't exactly been so honest about such things in the past, or really, ever.
The FBI concluded that the actions of the rookie agent amounted to "intelligence activities that . . . may be unlawful or contrary to executive order or presidential directive," according to a declassified memo from Oct. 21, 2004.
The incident was deemed serious enough for the bureau to notify both the President's Intelligence Oversight Board and the Justice Department, and to consider punishing the agent.
The violation was the only one after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that the FBI has specifically flagged as intentional. But it has attracted fresh attention because Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales testified six months later that no "verified case of civil liberties abuse" had occurred since the USA Patriot Act was enacted.
You can thank the Democratic Party for caving on the recent domestic spying bill. It also would have been nice if the Washington Post had been a little more aware of its previous reporting on the subject. The fact that Gonzales has obscured such violations in the past is relevant to his ability to uphold his responsibilities in the future.
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