WASHINGTON (AP) — The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter.
The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program.
"We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our investigation because OPR has been denied security clearances for access to information about the NSA program," OPR counsel H. Marshall Jarrett wrote to Hinchey. Hinchey's office shared the letter with The Associated Press.
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Hinchey is one of many House Democrats who have been highly critical of the domestic eavesdropping program first revealed in December. He said lawmakers would push to find out who at the NSA denied the Justice Department lawyers security clearance.
"This administration thinks they can just violate any law they want, and they've created a culture of fear to try to get away with that. It's up to us to stand up to them," said Hinchey.
The above quotes are from an article entitled, "NSA stymies Justice Dept. spying probe".
I am simply at a loss for words. It's clear we now have a dictatorship in this country. The law is being utterly flouted.
Unfortunately,your are right. It is a dictatorship. When an agency exists that cannot be investigated, the original design of our government for checks and balances between the different branches of government has been destroyed. If I recall correctly, the gestapo in Nazi Germany was above investigation also--for the good of the people and the country of course.
ReplyDeleteHow much of a price are we willing to pay to be "safe"?
Carolyn L.