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Bush Orders Wiretaps
2005-12-19 18:01:42
When asked about his authorization of wiretaps within the United States today, President Bush responded "Do I have the legal authority to do this? And the answer is, absolutely." Considering the past mistakes and omissions of this administration it's worthwhile to check and see if what the President says is true. Unsurprisingly, he's wrong again.
Under U.S. Code Title 50, Chapter 36, Subchapter 1 on Electronic Surveillance, it's quite clear:
- Wiretaps have to be approved by a judge.
- The target of the surveillance must be an agent of a foreign power, not merely a U.S. citizen exercising their first amendment rights.
- The President may order wiretaps without a judge's order, but only during the first 15 days following the declaration of war by Congress. After that initial period, ordering wiretaps of U.S. citizens without a judge's signature is a crime punishable by fines of up to $10,000 and up to 5 years in prison.
So there you have it, not only is the President apparently misinformed about the law, it appears that he just went on national television and admitted that he has committed the same crime multiple times.
I may be wrong, but somehow I just don't think that Congress is going to let this slide.
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