JONATHAN TURLEY

For years, some of us have been pointing out repeatedly the fact that the Domestic Surveillance Program implemented by President Bush constituted a federal crime. Indeed, many were horrified when the Democrats decided to extend the program, codifying if only temporarily an unlawful program. Now a former top Bush attorney has admitted that he and others knew it was illegal. Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the illegality was clearly raised with the White House. Yet, various officials including Gen. Hayden and former AG Gonzales has insisted that there was no such determinations and that everything was viewed as perfectly legal. The question is why so many lawyers continued to serve the president after determining that he was pushing an unlawful program. There is also the question of the utter failure of the democrats to stand on principle and insist that the government comply with judicial warrants as requiring under the express language of the fourth amendment. Finally, the fact that knowing illegality occurred should be an article of shame for the members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committee, which utterly failed to perform any meaningful oversignt. For the full story, click here