FBI’s Mueller Says U.S. Surveillance Programs Operate Legally

[Purveyor]

By Phil Mattingly - Jun 13, 2013
The U.S. government legally conducted two classified surveillance programs that collected phone and Internet communications data, FBI Director Robert Mueller said.

“The legality has been assured by the Department of Justice,” Mueller said today during testimony to the House Judiciary Committee. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court “has ruled on these two programs, monitors these two programs and has assured the legality of the efforts undertaken in these two programs.”

Lawmakers have raised concerns since the disclosure that two National Security Agency surveillance programs gave the federal government access to data on millions of U.S. phone calls and Internet activities.

Michigan Representative John Conyers, the top Democrat on the panel, questioned whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has a role in analyzing and using the data, was violating the intent of the federal statutes that allowed the programs to exist.

“It seems clear that the government’s activity exceeds the authority this congress has provided, both in letter and in spirit,” said Conyers, who also said he plans to introduce legislation tomorrow to impose restrictions and new oversight for the programs.

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-13/fbi-s-mueller-says-u-s-surveillance-programs-operate-legally.html

[kentuck]

1. Judge Roy Bean operated within the law also...

Because he made the law...

[cherokeeprogressive]

3. ++++++

[sibelian]

2. "Let's legalise us taking all sorts of information about people...

... and stick it somewhere they don't get to see it and decide what to do with it later. Also we could leave it in place for a government potentially financed by fundamentalist Christians and Koch-bought uber-capitalist Hobbesian wackadoodles to peruse at their leisure when they get elected again."

"Hey! I don't think you should do that!"

"Tough shit, bucko. See this piece of paper? It's LEGAL. NEEEEER. By the way, you looooooooove Snowden secretly and he's in bed with the Yellow Peril, what does that say about YOU?"

[backwoodsbob]

4. so now we trust the FBI to tell us what spying is legal?

Is this what we are reduced to in trying to spin this?

[damnedifIknow]

5. Unconstitutional period

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. FLASH Ernie and Julio say wine is good for you...

[kenny blankenship]

7. And the banks evaded reserve requirements legally, and we legally invaded Iraq based on lies

and the President assassinates US citizens legally... and of course it has all been checked out thoroughly by lawyers (who work for the govt) and if problems are ever discovered they can just tweak the laws to make what they were doing retroactively legal, and issue themselves immunities and pardons, and the same for their minions, who might squeal on them if prosecuted...

Are we not finally getting the picture that what our government now considers "LEGAL" is among the main causes for the accumulating and accelerating problems threatening our national well being and future?

[Savannahmann]

8. New Day, new official

Same song and dance. We're doing this for you, and we're obeying the law, I swear to God, and no you can't get any more information, just trust us.