Wiretap Program Had 'Limited' Value: Fed Report

(NEWSER) - The embattled Bush administration lawyer who drafted memos justifying waterboarding and warrantless wiretaps is fighting back as his role comes under greater scrutiny, the Washington Post reports. John Yoo, now a University of California law professor, has been giving speeches around the country defending the tactics and his view that their use came under the president's authority. More»

President had right to violate 'obsolete' FISA, Bush lawyer writes

(NEWSER) - Last week the inspectors general of the Justice Department, CIA, and other agencies suggested the Bush administration violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, singling out lawyer John Yoo for memos justifying warrantless wiretapping. Yoo defends himself today in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, writing that FISA was "an obsolete law" that the president had a constitutional responsibility to override. "Gathering intelligence—including intercepting enemy communications—has long been a key aspect of war," he says. More»

Companies asked to turn over info on 'community of interest'

(NEWSER) - US terror suspects are drawing friends and colleagues into the net, the New York Times reports. FBI docs show that probes have sought info on people who suspects call or email the most. Phone companies already keep such data on hand for marketing and fraud protection, one expert says. Such “analysis is extremely powerful and very revealing." More»

Terror arrests show that national security needs trump privacy worries

(NEWSER) - The arrests last week of Najibullah Zazi and other terror suspects should make lawmakers think twice about making intelligence-gathering more difficult for those trying to keep America safe from terrorist attacks, writes Michael Mukasey. Congressional Democrats are considering imposing new requirements on Patriot Act provisions when they come up for renewal later this year, Mukasey writes, but doing so has the potential to thwart terror investigations. More»

Only 3 Justice officials knew of program

(NEWSER) - The legal justification for the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was handled with unprecedented secrecy that sidestepped usual Justice Department procedure, the Washington Post reports. Only three Justice officials—John Ashcroft, John Yoo, and staff attorney James Baker—were made aware of the program and participated in drafting memos that established its legality. More»