revision
05-31-2009, 04:34 PM
Under Obama, wiretap docs. rest with torture photos
Sun, 31 May 2009 15:44:05 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=96599§ionid=3510203
The Obama administration has dismissed calls by a federal judge to disclose secret documents on warrantless wiretapping, citing national security concerns.
The move is expected to spark a row between the Justice Department and the US District Court in San Francisco next week. The latter is handling a lawsuit filed against the government by the Oregon-based al-Haramain Islamic Foundation.
The group is suing the government over its warrantless wiretapping program.
District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is handling the case, has threatened to penalize the government over its refusal to disclose the documents vital to the case.
Justice Department lawyers maintain that Walker has no substantial basis to press chargers against the government since the Obama White House had no obligation to provide access to a top secret document in a wiretapping case.
"The Government must continue to oppose the disclosure of state secrets in any further proceedings," the Justice Department wrote, reported the ABC News on Saturday.
In what appeared to be following former president George W. Bush's lead in legitimizing warrantless wiretapping, the department reiterated that in this case "disclosure of classified information -- even under protective order -- would create intolerable risks to national security."
The Justice Department filing said President Barack Obama has authorized access to classified information on a "need-to-know" basis and argued that the government "cannot be sanctioned for its determination that plaintiffs do not have a need to know classified information."
In a recent similar move, Obama banned the release of the US torture photos depicting rape and sexual assault on detainees at US prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sun, 31 May 2009 15:44:05 GMT
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=96599§ionid=3510203
The Obama administration has dismissed calls by a federal judge to disclose secret documents on warrantless wiretapping, citing national security concerns.
The move is expected to spark a row between the Justice Department and the US District Court in San Francisco next week. The latter is handling a lawsuit filed against the government by the Oregon-based al-Haramain Islamic Foundation.
The group is suing the government over its warrantless wiretapping program.
District Judge Vaughn Walker, who is handling the case, has threatened to penalize the government over its refusal to disclose the documents vital to the case.
Justice Department lawyers maintain that Walker has no substantial basis to press chargers against the government since the Obama White House had no obligation to provide access to a top secret document in a wiretapping case.
"The Government must continue to oppose the disclosure of state secrets in any further proceedings," the Justice Department wrote, reported the ABC News on Saturday.
In what appeared to be following former president George W. Bush's lead in legitimizing warrantless wiretapping, the department reiterated that in this case "disclosure of classified information -- even under protective order -- would create intolerable risks to national security."
The Justice Department filing said President Barack Obama has authorized access to classified information on a "need-to-know" basis and argued that the government "cannot be sanctioned for its determination that plaintiffs do not have a need to know classified information."
In a recent similar move, Obama banned the release of the US torture photos depicting rape and sexual assault on detainees at US prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.