You know how US Sen. Jeff Merkley has made us proud in recent days? How he’s been really offended at all these new intelligence disclosures, championing the public’s right to know if they’re being surveilled by the government, clamoring for better congressional oversight of these things?
Well, it turns out Merkley snubbed a shot at being let in the loop last year.
According to reports from Buzzfeed (of all places) and Politico, Merkley called a meeting of top intelligence folks on Capitol Hill, who arrived promptly and were ready to brief him and other senators (Sen. Ron Wyden among them) on the legal rationale for PRISM surveillance.
But Merkley had to leave early. He was scheduled to appear on MSNBC’s Hardball.
“In this case, Senator Merkley thought the meeting would be on an area that he had already been briefed on, and when conflicts arose he missed the meeting,” Spokesman Jamal Raad tells Politico.
This is not to say Merkley’s attention on the issue is unappreciated (he’s certainly doing his job better than New York Congressman Peter King, who’s calling for charges against the journalist who broke the story). After all, the senator was engaged enough in these issues to call the meeting. Just not, apparently, to attend.
He and Wyden are just covering their assess for having rubber stamped the abuse. They should have stopped this shit when they first had a clue. Hell, everybody has know about this since it all began back in the ’70s. The NSA has been recording all phone calls before the invention of the cell phone and the breakup of the baby Bells. There aren’t enough spys to actually listen to all the recordings, but even before the invention of the PC, large main frames would search out key words and alert an agent to listen to that particular phone call. If that same person got red flagged three times, he would then get listened to on a regular basis. For instance, a movie buff always talking about James Bond type FLICKS would get spied on all the time.
@WH Actually, Merkley and Wyden voted against both the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012 and the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011. So, no.
Voting against is not the same as prosecuting. Them there good old boys should have been crying foul out loud in public, outing the spooks the way thay Snowden has done. I vote for Snowdon. Wyden and Merkley need to be given a fair trail for treason and for violating their oath of office to defend the Constition.
Dirk, you neglected a key nugget, which is
“How was it that all of Congress was briefed if the only way Sen. Merkley could have known about it was a meeting held by special request?” the aide added.
First Wyden says that Americans would be angered if they knew how the spooks have misinterpreted the PatRIOT Act, then he turns around and says he didn’t know what the spooks were doing. How did he even know to ask the head spook at the Congressional hearing if they had been spying on Americans? What the hell was he doing on the Intelligence oversight comittie all this time, anyway? If he wasn’t being informed, why did he just sit there listening to the distant sound of crickets without complaing of being left in the dark?
Furthermore, I don’t believe the PatRIOT Act has been misinterpreded. I think it’s abusive as hell no matter how you read it. Wyden uses a false premise to try and justify all the years of abuse.
@Ward, you’re presuming that it’s a binary thing — either he knew or he didn’t. I think in actuality he knew more that we know (he indicated as such) but he didn’t know as much as Edward Snowden did.
How could anyone not know that the NSA has been violating the fourth amendment and spying on American citizens for years? This should be well understood by anyone even remotely paying attention. But I’m sure those who openly violate the law will face stiff criminal penalties just like the banks did …
@Spindles: I know, it’s like everyone just forgot about the Patriot Act — I haven’t heard much mention in the news or among most public response.
And does anyone just think that nothing is being tracked or recorded when they use Google or Bing or just about anything online? There’s multiple entities collecting information about you, for various purposes. Most of them are just use it for marketing data, but still.
Wyden knew enough to raise holy hell, but he didn’t do it. He just pretended to be a watch dog, when in fact, he’s really only a lap dog. If the spooks weren’t letting him know what was going on, don’t you think he would have noticed that? Does Wyden know anything about Benghazi? If he doesn’t, then he should be prosecuting the spooks for not informing him. Does Wyden know anything about the hundreds of IRS meetings with O’bama at the White House? Doesn’t the NSA? Does Wyden know anything about Fast and Furious? If not, why not? Doesn’t the NSA? Did Wyden know all along about the FBI wire tapping the Press? Didn’t the NSA? If the NSA knows anything about this shit and hasn’t informed Wyden, then Wyden ought to have noticed that he hasn’t been kept abreast, and he ought to be prosecuting the hell out of the spooks for not keeping him apprised. Instead, Wyden is trying to diminish the damage and distance himself from culpability.
Ron Wyden ought to lead the effort to bring Edward Snowden in from the cold.
Joe Farah suggests, that Congress should provide Snowden with immunity from prosecution for any crimes he may have committed. He should be protected and brought back to the United States as a source in an investigation designed to dismantle the surveillance state, which represents a crime against the Constitution.
Furthermore, Congress should use the resources of the surveillance state to provide all the answers it needs as to any and all official misfeasance in the IRS investigation, the Benghazi investigation, the Fast and Furious investigation, how the Internal Revenue Service went after the defacto president’s political adversaries, and of how the Justice Department kept tabs on the phone records of at least two major news agencies.
The NSA has collected all the data. Congress can access it to get to the bottom of all of this, without warrants, subpenas, or permission from anyone. It has complete oversight authority over the NSA. It is constitutionally, without a doubt, the most powerful branch of government. The American people are crying out for answers as to what government is doing. Congress has a mandate to provide the truth – to provide those answers.
It’s a wonderful opportunity to perform a vital national service to preserve the Constitution and be accountable to the people.
Come on Ronnie, show us your nuts, I mean balls!
Nick Guarino is another great whistleblower, who is defying a court order by writing today about the financial markets wipeout that can no longer be forestalled.
http://www.wsifn.com/instantfree/specialre…
What’s the matter with all you chickenshits? Cat got your tonuges?