Basis of Domestic Surveillance Was ‘Flawed,’ Report Finds
Former President Bush’s infamous warrant-free domestic surveillance plan, instituted after 9/11 to monitor potentially suspicious communication between parties within and outside of the U.S., has deservedly gotten a bad rap—and it’s about to get worse, thanks to a congressionally mandated report released Friday.
CNN:
The report, though not critical of the program’s objectives, sharply criticizes the legal advice provided to the White House by the Justice Department.
Among other things, the report cites a Justice Department conclusion that “it was extraordinary and inappropriate that a single DOJ attorney, John Yoo, was relied upon to conduct the initial legal assessment” of the surveillance program.
“The lack of oversight and review of Yoo’s work ... contributed to a legal analysis of the [program] that at a minimum was factually flawed,” it says.
The report says Yoo largely circumvented both his boss, Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
