Report: Obama Admin Held 22 Briefings For Congress On Surveillance Programs

[ProSense]

Report: Obama Admin Held 22 Briefings For Congress On Surveillance Programs

The Obama administration briefed lawmakers 22 times on section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act--the law that has been used to justify NSA's email monitoring program, a senior official told the Huffington Post.

Section 702 gives the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence the authority to gather intelligence on non-U.S. citizens for up to one year.

The senior official provided data that showed that over the span of 14 months starting in October 2011, 22 separate briefings to Congress touched on the law.

These briefings could support the adminstration's claim that the PRISM program was not an example of executive overreach, and go against the assertions of many lawmakers who have said they had no idea about the email surveillance operations. Sen. Jon Thune (R-D) went as far as saying that "most members of Congress" were likely unaware of the breadth of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs.

Read the full list of meetings here.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-obama-administration-held-22-briefings-for-congress

<...>

10/19/11: Meeting with Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Staff
1/10/12: House Judiciary Committee Staff Briefings (majority and minority separately briefed)
1/11/12: Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Briefings (majority and minority separately briefed)
3/5/12: Meeting with Nancy Pelosi
3/8/12: Meeting with Harry Reid Staff
3/15/12: Law Briefing for Senate Judiciary Committee staff
3/15/12: Briefing for Senate Leadership Staff
3/21/12: Meeting with Mitch McConnell Staff
3/23/12: Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Briefing at NSA
3/27/12: Meeting with Jim Langevin
3/28/12: Meeting with Jan Schakowsky
3/29/12: Thompson Meeting*
3/29/12: Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall Meeting
4/10/12: Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Briefing (in Virginia)
4/20/12: Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Briefing at FBI
5/4/12: Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Briefing
5/31/12: House Judiciary Committee FAA Hearing (unclassified)
6/7/12: House Judiciary Committee MEMBER Briefing (classified)
6/11/12: Meeting with Patrick Leahy Staff
6/21/12: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Hearing (classified)
7/18/12: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse/Richard Blumenthal Meeting
12/10/12: Akaka Meeting

* The Washington Post reported the meeting as with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.).


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/prism-program-obama_n_3416973.html?1370894473

[still_one]

1. Interesting, I though a few days ago widen says he was never briefed?

[BenzoDia]

2. But nobody knew about this!

[Tx4obama]

3. UPDATE...

-snip-

UPDATE: A spokesman for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) confirmed that the senator was briefed on Section 702. A spokeswoman for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), meanwhile, confirmed that the congresswoman was briefed on the subject matter, though the spokeswoman is uncertain if the exact date was the one listed by the administration official.

Adam Jentelson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he was checking on the exact date but could "confirm that our staff -- along with the key oversight committees' staff -- were briefed numerous times throughout 2011 and 2012."

A spokesman for Rep. Jim Langevin's (D-R.I.) office also confirmed that he had been briefed on Section 720 but, likewise, said they couldn't confirm the dates of the briefing at this juncture.

-snip-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/prism-program-obama_n_3416973.html

[Cha]

5. thanks for the update, Tx

[Cha]

4. Of course they did.

thanks ProSense