Originally published February 6 2006
Rice argues domestic spying is necessary to counterterrorism efforts
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Serving in the role of damage controller, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice offered explanations defending the use of the NSA for domestic spying, calling Bush's actions necessary for coordinating efforts between intelligence agencies abroad and domestic law enforcement groups.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday defended President Bush's decision to secretly authorize the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without seeking warrants, saying the program was carefully controlled and necessary to close gaps in the nation's counterterrorism efforts.
Rice said the program was intended to eliminate the "seam" between American intelligence operations overseas and law enforcement agencies at home.
And people could - terrorists could - exploit the seam between them."
"So the president is determined that he will have the ability to make certain that that seam is not there, that the communications between people, a limited number of people with Al Qaeda links here and conversations with terrorist activities outside, will be understood so that we can detect and thereby prevent terrorist attacks," she said.
Rice also said Mr. Bush decided to skirt the normal process of obtaining court-approved search warrants for the surveillance because it was too cumbersome for fast-paced counterterrorism investigations, an assertion that some national security experts, members of Congress and civil liberties advocates have challenged.
Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, or FISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency must obtain search warrants from a special court before conducting electronic surveillance of people suspected to be terrorists or spies.
"These are stateless networks of people who communicate, and communicate in much more fluid ways," she said.
But several national security law experts and civil liberties advocates note that government officials are able to get an emergency warrant from the secret court within hours, sometimes minutes, if they can show an imminent threat.
Under "extraordinary" circumstances, the government also can wait 72 hours after beginning wiretaps to get a warrant, but the administration did not seek to do that under the special program, which monitors the international communications of some people inside the United States.
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