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Ashcroft the hero of the 4th Amendment???

By PD Dude

Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall has given voice to some of the murmuring about whether former Attorney General John Ashcroft is a 4th Amendment hero in light of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's testimony before Congress last week.For those who somehow missed this firestorm, evidently Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Counsel (and present AG) Alberto Gonzalez raced to the hospital bedside of Ashcroft to attempt to reauthorize the illegal wiretaps that they were conducting outside of FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act). This despite the fact that James Comey was acting AG in light of Ashcroft's surgery and hospitalization (and opposed to the extrajudicial surveillance). Comey heard about the pending visit, and raced there ahead of them, prompting Ashcroft, in his weakened state, to stand up and oppose it when Card & Gonzalez got there, with everyone threatening to resign if the plan went forward over their objections...continue to full post

Full post as published by Public Defender Dude on May 20, 2007 (boomark / email).