01.29.06
The Dept. of Justice White Paper on NSA Domestic Spying Authority
A central part of the Bush Admin’s current PR blitz to counteract the mounting scandal over domestic spying by the NSA is a white paper released by the Dept. of Justice detailing the administration’s legal justifications for the president’s (alleged) authority to order domestic surveillance without a warrant.
It took about a week, but the thing has finally started showing up online. Now you can read it for yourself. Here’s the links, plus some related materials:
Legal Authorities Supporting the Activities of the National Security Agency Described by the President
(Dept. of Justice, Jan. 19, 2006) PDF, 262kb — also archived at EPIC.org
DOJ “Letter of Transmission” for the white paper
(DOJ: Atty. Gen. Gonzales to Sen. Bill Frist, Jan. 19, 2006) PDF, 160kb
Speech by Atty. Gen. Gonzales concerning the NSA program
(Georgetown University Law Center, Jan. 24, 2006) — also at: Univ. of Georgetown (PDF), and the DOJ site
What American Intelligence & Especially the NSA Have Been Doing to Defend the Nation
Remarks by Gen. Michael Hayden (National Press Club, Jan. 23, 2006) — also at Cryptome.
Gen. Hayden is currently the deputy director of National Intelligence and is former director of the NSA
The DOJ white paper was prepared largely in response to a report issued by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Here’s that as well:
Presidential Authority to Conduct Warrantless Electronic Surveillance to Gather Foreign Intelligence Information
(Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Jan. 5, 2006)
Of related interest:
Statutory Procedures Under Which Congress Is To Be Informed of U.S. Intelligence Activities, Including Covert Actions
(Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Jan. 18, 2006)
