The report of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has had a big impact on Congress. For the first time in twenty years, lawmakers are considering fundamental reforms to laws authorizing the surveillance of millions of Americans. Once sacrosanct on Capitol Hill, the 2002 Patriot Act and the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) are...
Category: Congress
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Washington Post: Keep Intelligence Briefings Open to the Public
A stinging tweet from President Trump about the intelligence community’s Capitol Hill public briefing on Iran a year ago has the intel chiefs ducking. According to Politico, U.S. officials have suggested to the House and Senate they testify only behind closed doors. The editors of the Washington Post object. The change would undermine the public...
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The Report’s Daniel Jones: How the CIA Manipulates Presidents
Dan Jones (portrayed by Adam Driver in the riveting movie, The Report) recently spoke to Jeremy Scahill about the relationship of the CIA to the presidency. It’s not a theme that is really spelled out in the movie, which focuses on the politics of torture, but what Jones says is key to understanding the realities...
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Bribery and the Impeachment of President Trump
The case for impeaching President Trump for bribery is strong, says law professor Randall Eliason Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution singles out bribery as grounds for impeachment: “The President . . . shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Eliason explains...
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Three Ways to Cut Defense Spending
Veteran defense analyst William Hartung explains America’s endless wars and what can be done to end them. The question is: What will the nation’s budget priorities be going forward? Both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have called for reductions in Pentagon spending, with Warren singling out the Pentagon’s war budget, the so-called Overseas Contingency Operations account, or...