Federal Judge: The National Security Agency is not required to release details about its secret wiretapping program
Fox-
The National Security Agency is not required to release details about its secret wiretapping program, a federal judge said Monday.The People for the American Way Foundation, a liberal advocacy group, sued to obtain records under the Freedom of Information Act. The group sought to find out how many wiretaps were approved and who reviewed the program.
President Bush has acknowledged the existence of the program, which he calls the Terrorist Surveillance Program. The National Security Agency monitors phone calls and e-mails between people in the U.S. and people in other countries when a link to terrorism is suspected.
Civil liberties group criticize it as an expansion of presidential power, and a federal judge has said it is unconstitutional. The Justice Department says it is a necessary tool to fight terrorism.
The NSA denied the request for documents, saying the records would jeopardize national security. The advocacy group argued that the law can’t be used to protect the government from disclosing details about illegal programs.
U.S. Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle disagreed, saying that even if the program is ultimately determined to be illegal, it doesn’t change the fact that the materials are classified and are not covered by the Freedom of Information Act.
November 20, 2006 - 11:36 PM on November 20th, 2006
Just one question for the liberals insisting on continuing to undermine the intelligence gathering mecessary to prevent further terrorist attacks in this country. Which is more important to you, the rights of the terrorists to plan their attacks or the rights of their intended victims to continue living? I know that you may claim that my question is simplistic, but that is the ultimate distillation of the argument. Should the terrorists be allowed to plan their attacks without fear of discovery or should the intended victims be allowed to live? With the continued number of leaks to the press from people seeking political gain, is there anyone who believes that increased exposure to people outside of the intelligence community won’t result in the programs being leaked to the press? and hence the very terrorists that the programs are trying to capture? At least 3 such programs have been widely publicized to the detriment of the very agencies trying to protect us from the terrorists.