Gonzales Lied to the Senate; ooops, a no-no

Feingold Says Attorney General Misled Senators in Hearings

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 31, 2006; A07

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) charged yesterday that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales misled the Senate during his confirmation hearing a year ago when he appeared to try to avoid answering a question about whether the president could authorize warrant-less wiretapping of U.S. citizens.

In a letter to the attorney general yesterday, Feingold demanded to know why Gonzales dismissed the senator's question about warrant-less eavesdropping as a "hypothetical situation" during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2005. At the hearing, Feingold asked Gonzales where the president's authority ends and whether Gonzales believed the president could, for example, act in contravention of existing criminal laws and spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant.

Gonzales said that it was impossible to answer such a hypothetical question but that it was "not the policy or the agenda of this president" to authorize actions that conflict with existing law. He added that he would hope to alert Congress if the president ever chose to authorize warrant-less surveillance, according to a transcript of the hearing.

In fact, the president did secretly authorize the National Security Agency to begin warrant-less monitoring of calls and e-mails between the United States and other nations soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The program, publicly revealed in media reports last month, was unknown to Feingold and his staff at the time Feingold questioned Gonzales, according to a staff member. Feingold's aides developed the 2005 questions based on privacy advocates' concerns about broad interpretations of executive power.

(Actually, it has been reported that the surveillance began early in 2001, not after 9/11.)

Gonzales was White House counsel at the time the program began and has since acknowledged his role in affirming the president's authority to launch the surveillance effort. Gonzales is scheduled to testify Monday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the program's legal rationale.

"It now appears that the Attorney General was not being straight with the Judiciary Committee and he has some explaining to do," Feingold said in a statement yesterday.

(Not being straight? JEEEZE Louise. They have done nothing but lie since day one; like when they said they won the 200o election.)

A Justice Department spokesman said yesterday the department had not yet reviewed the Feingold letter and could not comment.

(I bet they can't. They have to get a story, of some kind straight, between them first.)

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

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He ought to be held in contempt of congress for out-and-out lying. Misleading, my arse!

 

When the fool knew damn well that the president had authorized the NSA to, essentially, data-mine Americans, at least partly, on his advice, he made the above red-lettered statement. He also went on to say that he "hoped" to advise Congress IF the president ever CHOSE to authorize such a program.

 

Jesus Christ! When will these people ever be held accountable for any damned thing they do or say?

 

Impeach 'em, convict 'em, jail 'em.

 

NOW!

 

The world can't wait!