Monday, July 08, 2013

For The Record, James Clapper Should Clearly Resign*


From ABC News:
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper apologized to Congress in a letter released today for giving a “clearly erroneous” answer to a question about whether the government collects data on millions of Americans.

“My response was clearly erroneous – for which I apologize,” Clapper wrote in a letter to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

The letter came after Clapper was accused of lying in response to a question by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., about whether the National Security Agency collects “any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans.”

In his March testimony, Clapper answered “no,” later adding, “not wittingly.”

It was later revealed that the NSA does collect “metadata” from telephone and Internet companies on millions of Americans – information that reveals information like the time, date and phone numbers of telephone calls, not the content of those calls.

“In light of Sen. Wyden’s reference to ‘dossiers’ and faced with the challenge of trying to give an unclassified answer about our intelligence collection activities, many of which are classified, I simply didn’t think of Section 215 of the Patriot Act,” which allows the government to collect “business records” or metadata from telephone and Internet companies, Clapper said. “Instead, my answer addressed collection of the content of communications.” 
...
He should also be tried for perjury and contempt of Congress and probably obstruction, but I have no idea what venue would be suitable for building the case or developing charges that one could bring before a court.

Obviously the Regime of the Kenyan Usurper has already been the scene of so many unprecedentedly monstrous scandals ranging from ACORN to Benghaaaaazi to the assassination of Vince Foster Death Panel Bingo to the Great Obama Phone Giveaway to paying off welfare cheat "voters" by rolling back welfare work requirements to Whitewater the failed economic stimulus package to drug dealing and the murder of Clinton's political opponents the New Blah Panther Party to the failed auto industry bailout to the Big IRS Thing...I assume we can all agree that the Executive Branch is such a lawless wasteland of something something Chicago-style thuggery that the Kenyan Usurper's chief henchman, the Attorney General,  cannot possibly be trusted to appoint anyone to act as an independent council who isn't a secretly under Obama's spell.

And the FISA court is rumored to be too busy although no one really knows for sure.

And since even the Supreme Court's considerable power is confined to fucking up existing law and not convening witch-hunts sober investigations, that leaves it up to the selfless public servants of the 113th Congress to get 'er done.

So anybody up for handing, say, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform subpoena power and an unlimited budget and just letting him go to town?

*This one's for you, Matt :-)



2 comments:

Ema Nymton said...

.

So does this mean that government officials are above the law and lying (perjury) to congress is not punishable? How far down the 'food chain' does immunity to prosecution for perjury apply?

Can low-level government representatives use that government officials are above the law as a legal defense for lying to other law enforcement representatives??

Is not Congress's inaction in itself unlawful?

Ema Nymton
~ @ : o ?
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JerryB said...

It's odd that this House would go to so much trouble ginning up scandals to flail and leave on the table an actual crime. They could give him the full Susan Rice treatment with just a touch of impeachment of the Pres to really sex it up a bit.

Well, they're not the brightest bulbs in the marquee, now are they?