Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter

Demand Hearings for Domestic Spying

Last week, we learned from the New York Times that President George W. Bush signed a presidential order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to spy on US citizens without court-approved warrants.

Our law forbids warrant less surveillance of American citizens, and it provides the Government with a set of procedures to follow in emergency situations, when federal agents do not have enough time to get a warrant. (Foreign Intelligence Service Act, 50 U.S.C. Chapter 36, Subchapter I) If the Times report is correct, the Bush government may have acted illegally by not following these procedures.

Moreover, this report raised serious constitutional questions as to whether the President�s order violated the Fourth Amendment, and the requirement that the President �shall take Care that Laws be faithfully executed.� (Article II, sec. 3)

Congress has the responsibility to call out the Administration, determine the facts of this story, and find out whether the Bush Administration did in fact take actions which violated the constitutional and legal parameters for the Executive Branch. The House of Representatives must do their part in holding this Administration accountable if in fact it acted with total disregard of our laws.

We the undersigned urge Congressman James Sensenbrenner Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Congressman Peter Hoekstra, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to hold hearings demanding answers on Bush�s domestic spying.

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