It is time for a full criminal hearing into the Bush White House. Here is the latest revelation on the NSA wiretapping:
A former Qwest Communications International executive, appealing a conviction for insider trading, has alleged that the government withdrew opportunities for contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars after Qwest refused to participate in an unidentified National Security Agency program that the company thought might be illegal.
Former chief executive Joseph P. Nacchio, convicted in April of 19 counts of insider trading, said the NSA approached Qwest more than six months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to court documents unsealed in Denver this week.
Details about the alleged NSA program have been redacted from the documents, but Nacchio’s lawyer said last year that the NSA had approached the company about participating in a warrantless surveillance program to gather information about Americans’ phone records.
In the court filings disclosed this week, Nacchio suggests that Qwest’s refusal to take part in that program led the government to cancel a separate, lucrative contract with the NSA in retribution. He is using the allegation to try to show why his stock sale should not have been considered improper.
(emphasis added)
Think Progress reminds us of this argument for the spying:
After September the 11th, I vowed to the American people that our government would do everything within the law to protect them against another terrorist attack. As part of this effort, I authorized the National Security Agency to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations.
But that statement has now passed into the vault of constant lies told by this President.
Putting this into the perspective of time, Bush took office on January 20, 2001. Six months before 9/11 would be 3/11. That means less than two months after taking office, this White House was working on violating the rights of Americans. Also – this tapping did nothing to stop the 9/11 attacks.
Is Nancy Pelosi still thinking about giving Bush everything he wants on FISA? If so then she is as guilty as Bush when it comes to shredding the Constitution. Bush wants this new FISA? Fine – time for full blown Congressional inquiries into the program. No executive privilege. We need full Watergate style hearings now.