Wiretap Catches Rep Making Deal for Pro-Israel Lobby Group

Move unrelated to scandal, they say

(NEWSER) - Federal prosecutors may drop charges against two pro-Israeli lobbyists at the center of a wiretapping scandal involving a member of Congress, the Washington Post reports. The feds say the possible move has nothing to do with the scandal involving Rep. Jane Harman. Instead, a series of recent court decisions in similar cases—the men are accused of trying to obtain classified information—has made it more difficult for prosecutors to prevail. More»

Calif. rep decries 'outrageous' 'abuse of power'

(NEWSER) - California Rep. Jane Harman demanded today that Justice Department release “unredacted” transcripts of telephone conversations recorded without her knowledge, Politico reports. Harman demanded the wiretapped conversations be released in response to media reports that she was recorded agreeing to try to help two pro-Israel lobbyists accused of spying in exchange for them touting her for chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee. More»

Mueller's notes call hospitalized Ashcroft 'barely articulate'

(NEWSER) - Newly released notes taken by the FBI director in 2004 contradict Alberto Gonzales' Senate testimony about the internal conflict over the warrantless wiretapping program. Robert Mueller's heavily redacted notes refer to hospitalized AG John Ashcroft as "feeble" and "barely articulate," the Washington Post reports—a far cry from Gonzales' claim that his predecessor was "lucid." More»

Gonzales still under fire for perjury

(NEWSER) - The executive branch has had more authority to spy on citizens than yet reported, the Washington Post revealed today. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell explained yesterday that the controversial NSA warrantless wiretapping and data mining program was only one element in a broader series of secret surveillance activities issued under a single executive order by President Bush in 2001. More»

(NEWSER) - The Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program wasn't such a great anti-terror tool after all, says a new federal report. The wiretaps—on the international communication of Americans—"generally played a limited role" in counterterrorism efforts, despite the assertions of President Bush, Dick Cheney, and other top officials that they were essential, the New York Times reports. More»