Legal Commentary

Feingold to Obama: End Warrantless Wiretapping

By Jeralyn

Sen. Russ Feingold has written this letter (pdf)to President Obama, calling upon him to renounce the warrantless wiretapping. It begins:

I am writing to reiterate my request for you to formally and promptly renounce the assertions of executive authority made by the Bush Administration with regard to warrantless wiretapping. As a United States Senator, you stated clearly and correctly that the warrantless wiretapping program was illegal. Your Attorney General expressed the same view, both as a private citizen and at his confirmation hearing. It is my hope that you will formally confirm this position as president... [More...]

Why this matters now:

On June 8, Director of National Intelligence Blair asserted in a speech and in response to a question from a reporter that the warrantless wiretapping program "wasn't illegal."

Blair later clarified his answer, but Feingold maintains, "his "clarification highlights the need to formally renounce the legal justification that the "White Paper" provides.

And, Feingold writes, Obama's nominee for General Counsel for the Director of National Intelligence, refused to answer Feingold's question about the legality of the program under Bush, stating it was classified.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 15, 2009 (boomark / email).