A bill backed by a bipartisan group of congressman would require the House intelligence panel to share oversight with the judiciary and other committees.
It would amend rule 10 of the House of Representatives’ regulations — the rule that deals with oversight committee jurisdiction — effectively compelling the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to grant requests from other committee chairmen for documents or briefings related to intelligence activities that impinge on their jurisdiction.
The context for this is the standard Congressional hobby of approving acts contradicted by law — in retrospect — and grandfathering in the violations.
In both chambers of Congress, bills to give a legislative basis to the NSA program and other surveillance initiatives undertaken as part of the administration’s declared war on terror have been referred primarily to the Judiciary Committee. But it is the intelligence committees and their staffs that have been briefed on the programs.
So, are Constitutional checks and balances in play, here? Or are we witnessing an ever-diminishing circle of politicians with the right to administer the law-making process?
And who would be watching the watchers of the watchers?
It’s funny how they have all the time in the world to have meetings and hold investigations, but they don’t seem to have the time to read the bills they are voting on.
There is a reason that it is a “Select Committee on Intelligence .” Not everyone in Congress needs or can be trusted with secure info. And the problem is not only the elected reps but their unelected staff who more often than not where leaks come from.
I know there are those that read and participate in this blog that don’t think that the government should have any secrets from the general population. TO those of you who feel that way. You’re idiots.
What do lawmakers do AFTEr they have created ALL the laws??
They mess the other laws up.
Personally I wouldn’t tell anything to a Congressman that I didn’t want public. There really are times when goverment needs to do things secretly, the problem comes when they continue to do them long after the initial reason for secracy is gone.(and who is running the program)
Why do I think of Evil Bert here…