Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHolder called upon to investigate Clapper for conspiring and testifying falsely before Congress
http://www.citizensforethics.org/blog/entry/what-happens-when-check-and-balances-dont-work-nsa-dni-clapperJuly 30, 2013
By Anne Weismann
Yesterday CREW called on Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, Jr. for conspiring and testifying falsely before Congress and conspiring and obstructing a congressional inquiry.
The misconduct in question was false testimony Director Clapper provided the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on March 12, 2013, when in response to a question provided him in advance from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) on whether the NSA collects any type of data on Americans Director Clapper stated unequivocally, No, sir ... Not wittingly.
Thanks to Edward J. Snowden we now know that, indeed, our country very purposefully has been collecting a massive amount of private data on many millions of Americans through the PRISM program.
There are many things wrong with a high-level government official lying to Congress, but at its most basic such lies prevent Congress from doing its constitutionally assigned job of overseeing the executive branch. To be sure, Sen. Wyden knew from classified briefings that Director Clapper was not being truthful, but the senators hands were tied when it came to disclosing the existence of the PRISM program. In any event, the handful of senators with whom details of the PRISM program were shared are just a subset of those in Congress with oversight responsibility.
The courts also are supposed to act as a check on executive branch abuses, but their effectiveness also must be called into question. When the ACLU sued on behalf of a group of lawyers, journalists, and human rights organizations who feared their international communications were being monitored by the government, the Supreme Court concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing because they could not prove they were being monitored. In other words, they were in a true Catch 22, unable to produce the proof the Supreme Court was calling for because all the details of the program were classified. We now know the government was, in fact, collecting data on those plaintiffs and many, many more. Another failed check and balance.
For further proof of how the much vaunted system of checks and balances has been seriously eroded consider the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA).
Created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978, and given expanded authority by the USA PATRIOT Act, the FISA court bears responsibility for considering executive branch requests for authority to conduct surveillance to obtain foreign intelligence information. Most recently, the court has faced considerable criticism for what is perceived as rubber-stamping executive branch requests, a perception fueled in large part by the absolute secrecy that cloaks its activities.
Is it a check and balance if no one can know what it does and how it does it?
Our founding fathers had a clear vision of how our tripartite system of government should work, a vision that has endured for over two centuries. It may be too soon to call for a drastic overhaul, but it certainly is not too soon to demand more than lip service by those charged with preserving our most precious commodity our democracy.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 702 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (11)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Holder called upon to investigate Clapper for conspiring and testifying falsely before Congress (Original Post)
G_j
Jul 2013
OP
Scuba
(53,475 posts)1. How about a prisoner switch? Clapper for Manning.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)2. I'm sure he'll get right on that. n/t
G_j
(40,367 posts)3. I won't be holding my breath
but it never hurts to ask...