Senate Intel committee votes behind closed doors not to investigate NSA warrantless domestic spying. Moving towards DeWine proposal to provide retroactive legal cover for the past four years of a program that the Congress doesn't fully understand. Reid: “It is no surprise that the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee has once again caved to the wishes of the White House and refused even to open an investigation into President Bush’s domestic spying program. One is left to wonder what it would take to make this Congress stop rubberstamping the Bush Administration and actually do real oversight. We cannot effectively legislate on the NSA spying issue if we do not know the facts, and we will not know them if the Republican-controlled Intelligence Committee persists in refusing to do its job.” Roberts: "Today we reached an accommodation with the White House to expand the number of members involved in overseeing this important program to seven, just about half of the Committee. The Committee voted to create a seven member subcommittee to conduct enhanced oversight of the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Including myself, there will be four Republicans on the Subcommittee. I have appointed the Members. They are: Senator Hatch, Senator DeWine, and Senator Bond." Accomodation indeed!

Update: Bill Arkin: "In my mind, this just draws the Congressional institution into the business of the Executive Branch in such a way that it loses all ability to oversee."

Posted by Laura at March 7, 2006 05:45 PM