Justice restarts domestic surveillance inquiry

Investigators gain necessary security clearances days into tenure of new AG

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has reopened a long-dormant inquiry into the government's warrantless wiretapping program, a major policy shift only days into the tenure of new Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

The investigation by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility was shut down last year, after the investigators were denied security clearances. Gonzales told Congress that President Bush, not he, denied the clearances.

"We recently received the necessary security clearances and are now able to proceed with our investigation," H. Marshall Jarrett, counsel for the OPR, wrote to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y. A copy of the letter, dated Tuesday, was obtained by The Associated Press.

Hinchey and other Democrats have long sought an investigation into the spying program to see if it complies with the law. Efforts to investigate the program have been rebuffed by the Bush administration.

"I am happily surprised," Hinchey said. "It now seems because we have a new attorney general the situation has changed. Maybe this attorney general understands that his obligation is not to be the private counsel to the president but the chief law enforcement officer for the entire country."

Toku666 said:
What if they only stonewalled long enough to figure out they could switch to a new AG, allow the investigation, then (shockingly) find no evidence of wrongdoing after being given nearly a year to hide evidence?

Toku666 said:
What if they only stonewalled long enough to figure out they could switch to a new AG, allow the investigation, then (shockingly) find no evidence of wrongdoing after being given nearly a year to hide evidence?

Hinchey and other Democrats have long sought an investigation into the spying program to see if it complies with the law. Efforts to investigate the program have been rebuffed by the Bush administration.

bald_eagle said:

I don't think it would have to sink to be that low.

bald_eagle said:

I understood. I was just adding to it.