Report: Top Bush officials including ex-attorney general, CIA chief snubbed wiretapping review

September 23rd, 2009 Justice reconsidering state secrecyWASHINGTON — The Justice Department is poised to announce a new policy on using claims of state secrecy to block the release of information about controversial counterterrorism strategies like rendition and warrantless wiretapping. The new policy is not expected to change the government's position in any current cases.

September 23rd, 2009 Judge mulling Islamic charity wiretap lawsuitSAN FRANCISCO — The Obama administration on Wednesday kept up its fight to toss out a lawsuit alleging illegal wiretapping, arguing that moving forward with the case would jeopardize national security. U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Anthony Coppolino invoked the government's so-called state secret privilege in urging U.S.

September 11th, 2009 No charges against ex-Justice officialWASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder has decided not to bring any criminal charges against a former Bush administration official who lawmakers said lied to them in sworn testimony. An inspector general's report found that Bradley Schlozman, the former head of the civil rights division, misled lawmakers in sworn testimony about whether he politicized hiring decisions.

July 24th, 2009 Conyers wants criminal probe of Bush 'abuses'WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday urged Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to examine potential abuses by former President George W. Bush's administration.

July 16th, 2009 Bush admin official defends warrantless wiretapsWASHINGTON — John Yoo, who wrote legal memos justifying the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, defended the measure in an essay published Thursday. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Yoo said: "The best way to find an al-Qaida operative is to look at all e-mail, text and phone traffic between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the U.S.

July 11th, 2009 Report: Bush surveillance program was massiveWASHINGTON — The Bush administration built an unprecedented surveillance operation to pull in mountains of information far beyond the warrantless wiretapping previously acknowledged, a team of federal inspectors general reported Friday, questioning the legal basis for the effort but shielding almost all details on grounds they're still too secret to reveal. The report, compiled by five inspectors general, refers to "unprecedented collection activities" by U.S.

July 11th, 2009 Report: Too few officials knew of surveillanceWASHINGTON — Not enough relevant officials were aware of the size and depth of an unprecedented surveillance program started under President George W. Bush, let alone signed off on it, a team of federal inspectors general found.

July 10th, 2009 Report: Bush program extended beyond wiretappingWASHINGTON — The Bush administration authorized secret surveillance activities that still have not been made public, according to a new government report that questions the legal basis for the unprecedented anti-terrorism program. It's unclear how much valuable intelligence was yielded by the surveillance program started after the Sept.

July 10th, 2009 Surveillance went beyond warrantless wiretappingWASHINGTON — A new internal government report says President George W. Bush authorized secret intelligence activities shortly after the Sept.

June 30th, 2009 SC attorney general calls for investigation of govCOLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's attorney general is asking for an investigation into Gov.

June 3rd, 2009 Federal judge tosses warrantless wiretap casesSAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out more than three dozen lawsuits filed against the nation's telecommunications companies for allegedly taking part in the government's e-mail and telephone eavesdropping program that was done without court approval. In addition, he ordered officials in Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont and Missouri to halt their investigations of the telecommunication companies for their alleged participation in the once-secret surveillance programs.

May 31st, 2009 Gov't refuses to release documents in wiretap caseWASHINGTON — The Obama administration insists it has no obligation to provide access to a top secret document in a wiretapping case, setting up a showdown next week with the judge who ordered it released. Justice Department lawyers, in a response Friday with the U.S.

May 30th, 2009 Gov't refuses to release secret documentsWASHINGTON — The Obama administration insists it has no obligation to provide access to a top secret document in a wiretapping case, setting up a showdown next week with the judge who ordered it released. Justice Department lawyers, in a response Friday with the U.S.

April 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's most liberal supporters are dismayed and disgusted because his administration is invoking the "state secrets" privilege just as former President George W. Bush did to shield eavesdropping programs from public exposure.

January 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head the Justice Department told the Senate during his confirmation hearing that he regards waterboarding as torture. The comments Thursday by Eric Holder, the nominee to become the next attorney general, are a clear break from the Bush administration, which maintains it did not condone torture but has refused to publicly state whether waterboarding falls into the category.