General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Snowden email fell short of NSA criticism [View all]Vattel
(9,289 posts)I mean, seriously, read the email.
On edit, nvm, here is the relevant part:
After a mandatory training course about an agency directive that prohibits collecting information about Americans, Snowden asked NSA lawyers to clarify the hierarchy of government legal documents. At the top he listed the U.S. Constitution, followed by federal statutes and presidential executive orders, then Pentagon and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) regulations and, at the bottom, directives and policies from the NSA.
Im not entirely certain, but this does not seem correct, Snowden wrote, as it seems to imply Executive Orders have the same precedence as law."
Now tell me that he is not asking about the NSA's interpretation of its legal authorities.