From AP:
Security issue kills domestic spying inquiry
NSA won't grant Justice Department lawyers required security clearanceWASHINGTON - The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter.
The inquiry headed by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program.
"We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our investigation because OPR has been denied security clearances for access to information about the NSA program," OPR counsel H. Marshall Jarrett wrote to Hinchey. Hinchey's office shared the letter with The Associated Press.
... "Without these clearances, we cannot investigate this matter and therefore have closed our investigation," wrote Jarrett.
This is truly an opportunity for House Democrats to show what they're made of. As the article points out, "Hinchey is one of many House Democrats who have been highly critical of the domestic eavesdropping program first revealed in December."
I've heard the arguments (of Rove and others) that the eavesdropping is a loser issue for Dems, but I'm not buying it. The Bush administration has made a bugaboo of "investigation," fighting every attempt to get to the heart of issues. We should be presenting this as a genuine Constitutional need to find out what is going on - and then saying we would be delighted to confirm, after thorough review, that yes, all is fine and dandy with how this program is operating and we can all sleep easy at night, yes yes, we can.
Investigations do not mean guilt, any more than a trial does. Both types of inquiries are simply attempts to get more information and facts.
People who fight investigations do not believe in their innocence. Those who are confident of the legality of their actions would invite more security-cleared legislative eyes reviewing this process and confirming to the public that all is above board, and Americans need to be reminded of this fact.
If Bush is so certain that Americans are being protected by this, let's invite him to share that information with Democratic surrogates we can trust. I double dog dare him to do so. If he doesn't, he's simply being ... an obstructionist.
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