Carregamento…
O poder dos E.U. espiar em estrangeiros começa o assentimento
|
|
Por Thomas Ferraro
O Congress Democrático-conduzido dos E.U. rendeu ao presidente George Bush em sábado e expandiu temporariamente o poder do governo espiar eletronicamente em suspeitos extrangeiros sem uma ordem de corte.
As liberdades que civis os grupos carregaram a medida criariam uma rede larga que varresse acima dos cidadãos law-abiding dos E.U. Mas a casa de representantes aprovou a conta por 227 votos a 183, um dia após a aprovaçã0 do senate, por 60 votos a 28.
“After months of prodding by house republicans, congress has finally closed the terrorist loophole in our surveillance law — and America will be the safer for it,” declared house minority leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.
With legislators to begin a month-long recess this weekend, Bush had called on them to stay until they passed the legislation.
“Protecting America is our most solemn obligation,” Bush said earlier in the day.
The measure authorises the National Security Agency to intercept communications between people in the US and foreign targets overseas.
The administration has to submit to a secret court a description of the procedures used to ensure that surveillance without a warrant only targeted people outside the US.
The court, set up by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa ), would review the procedures and may order changes . The administration could appeal.
Fisa now requires the government to obtain orders from its court to conduct surveillance of suspected terrorists in the US.
But after the September 11 attacks, Bush authorised warrantless interception of communications between people in the US and others overseas if one of them was suspected of terrorist ties. Critics charged that programme violated the law, but Bush argued he had wartime powers to do so.
In January, Bush put the programme under the supervision of the Fisa court, but the terms have not been made public.
Congress has subpoenaed documents in an effort to determine Bush’s legal justification for the warrantless surveillance.
The new bill was needed in part, aides said, because of restrictions recently imposed by the secret court on spy agencies’ intercepting of communications. Congress has to come up with permanent legislation within six months.
Republicans earlier rejected a Democrat alternative providing greater court supervision.
U.S.A. Section has more related reportsHelp keep RINF going..Comment on 'US power to spy on foreigners gets nod' :
Related News:
