Specter’s NSA Plan Hits Snag
Posted in H.L. News, Main Blog (All Posts) on August 5th, 2006 9:24 am by HL
Specter’s NSA Plan Hits Snag
Washington Post
Excerpt
A White House-endorsed plan to formally legalize the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program ran into more political problems yesterday in the Senate, as Democrats successfully maneuvered to block a committee vote on the proposal.
In addition, three of the committee’s leading Democrats announced that they would block the confirmation of a senior Justice Department official in protest of a recent move by President Bush. The president effectively stopped a probe into the NSA program by denying security clearances to Justice Department investigators.
The developments spell further difficulties for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), whose surveillance proposal has earned the endorsement of Bush and Vice President Cheney but has run into fierce opposition from Senate Democrats and a competing proposal from House Republicans
