Don’t Bother Telling Those with Oversight Responsibilities

I pointed out yesterday that Mike McConnell admitted that the Senate Judiciary Committee did not receive a briefing on the warrantless wiretapping program, in spite of the fact that the Committee has been working on the issue for well over a year.

We submitted the bill in April, had an open hearing1 May, we had a closed hearing in May, I don’t remember the exact date.Chairman (U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas) had two hearings and Ihad a chance to brief the judiciary committee in the house, theintelligence committee in the house and I just mentioned the Senate,did not brief the full judiciary committee in the Senate, but I didmeet with Sen. (Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.) and Sen. (Arlen Specter, R-Pa.),and I did have an opportunity on the Senate side, they have a traditionthere of every quarter they invite the director of nationalintelligence in to talk to them update them on topics of interest. Andthat happened in (June 27). [my emphasis]

McConnelldid not give a private briefing to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Andif his description is accurate, he didn’t give one to the SenateIntelligence Committee, either. The former, of course, has beenreviewing these issues for a year and a half and has subpoenaeddocuments from the Administration on precisely this program,only to be denied. The notion that McConnell didn’t brief them (was heafraid they’d demand subpoenas?)–and that Leahy didn’t demand that hebrief them–is a ridiculous affront to the legislative process. And tothink Cheney would tell such a good ally as Leahy to go fuck himself.

But what I didn’t remember is when McConnell gave his briefing to Specter (and presumably Leahy):

Specter, who was given his first briefing on the NSA program and its history Monday afternoon in an 80-minute meeting with Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, declined to comment afterward.

On Monday, July 30, the Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee received his first briefing on a program that he had been conducting oversight on for over a year–leading up to legislation that McConnell complained should have been passed back in May.