Justice Dept./Oversight Board Examine NSA Wiretaps

JUSTICE SEPT TO EXAMINE ITS USE OF NSA WIRETAPS
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Dan Eggen]
The Justice Department's inspector general yesterday announced an investigation into the department's connections to the government's controversial warrantless surveillance program, but officials said the probe will not examine whether the National Security Agency is violating the Constitution or federal statutes. In a letter to House lawmakers, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said his office decided to open the probe after conducting "initial inquiries" into the program. Under the initiative, the NSA monitors phone calls and e-mails between people in the United States and others overseas without court oversight if one of the targets is suspected of ties to terrorism. The "program review" will examine how the Justice Department has used information obtained from the NSA program, as well as whether Justice lawyers complied with the "legal requirements" that govern it, according to Fine's letter. Officials said the review will not examine whether the program itself is legal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR200611...
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* NSA spy program is under review
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-spy28nov28,1,133...

OVERSIGHT BOARD BRIEFED ON NATIONAL SECURITY ELECTRONIC EAVESDROPPING PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: John Solomon]
Several members of a government board appointed to guard privacy and civil liberties during the war on terror say they're impressed with the protections built into the Bush administration's electronic eavesdropping program. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board received a long-awaited briefing on the secret program last week by senior members of the National Security Agency. Two of the five board members told The Associated Press on Monday they were impressed by the safeguards the government has built into the NSA's monitoring of phone calls and computer transmissions and wished the administration could tell the public more about them to ease distrust. The briefing had been delayed for over a year because President Bush was concerned - after several press leaks - about widening the circle of people who knew the exact details of the eavesdropping program.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TERROR_PRIVACY?SITE=SCCHA&SECTION...