Judge Rejects Request for NSA Documents

Posted on November 21, 2006

The National Security Agency is not required to release details about its secret wiretapping program, a federal judge said Monday.

The People for the American Way Foundation, a liberal advocacy group, sued to obtain records under the Freedom of Information Act. The group sought to find out how many wiretaps were approved and who reviewed the program.

President Bush has acknowledged the existence of the program, which he calls the Terrorist Surveillance Program. The National Security Agency monitors phone calls and e-mails between people in the U.S. and people in other countries when a link to terrorism is suspected.

Civil liberties group criticize it as an expansion of presidential power, and a federal judge has said it is unconstitutional. The Justice Department says it is a necessary tool to fight terrorism.

Its good to see a judge slap some of these groups with a little common sense. This judge ruled, rightly in my opinion, that even if the NSA program is eventually ruled illegal that the requested documents are still currently classified and are not covered by the Freedom of Information Act.

As Michelle Malkin says:

What part of classified don’t they understand?

Macsmind:

It’s about time. Time and time again we have seen the media and the left call this valued program “illegal” when in fact it’s only their opinion. The program has never been found to be legal, and as we have discovered Judge Anna Diggs “ruling” was nothing of the kind and in fact simply her agenda driven opinion which will be tossed as soon as it is heard by the 6th Circuit Court.

» Filed Under ACLU, News, War On Terror

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Comments

3 Responses to “Judge Rejects Request for NSA Documents”

Jeff Molby on November 21st, 2006 5:07 pm

Yeah, FOIA isn’t the right avenue in this case. As long as the information is available to those trying the relevant case(s), I don’t have any problem with the information being kept from the general public.
kimsch on November 21st, 2006 11:11 pm

There is no wiretapping involved. They track what phone number calls what phone number. And only if one of the phone numbers is out of the country. There is no wiretapping.
Jeff Molby on November 21st, 2006 11:43 pm

Kimsch,

I’m not usually this blunt, but you’re wrong. The program does what you described in addition to eavesdropping on overseas calls. The administration has acknowledged this.

(scroll down to the Attorney General’s response under “Setting The Record Straight On The Scope Of The Program.”)