U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller has received more than $42,000 from phone company executives that have lobbied him to support "legal immunity for businesses participating in National Security Agency eavesdropping," The New York Times reports.
"The money came primarily from a fund-raiser that Verizon held for Mr. Rockefeller in March in New York and another that AT&T sponsored for him in May in San Antonio," the newspaper said. "Mr. Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, emerged last week as the most important supporter of immunity in devising a compromise plan with Senate Republicans and the Bush administration."
Rockefeller's committee endorsed a measure Thursday to "add restrictions on the eavesdropping and extend retroactive immunity to carriers that participated in it. President Bush secretly approved the program after the Sept. 11 attacks," the article said.
A Rockefeller spokeswoman told the Times that "the senator had had numerous meetings with his aides about immunity for a year and came to believe that the carriers needed legal protection to ensure cooperation on national security operations."
“Any suggestion that Senator Rockefeller would make policy decisions based on campaign contributions is patently false,” Wendy Morigi said.
Thanks to Hoppy Kercheval for pointing out the story on MetroNews' Talkline. MetroNews also has a story, and audio from a campaign finance law advocate quoted in the Times' piece.
23 October 2007
Rockefeller Contributions Raise Eyebrows
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
According to news reports the bush regime began spying on US citizens some seven months before 9/11. I am going to assume this is true because it’s in court records relating to insider trading charges brought against Joseph P. Nacchio, then CEO of Qwest. Qwest was one of very few companies to refuse to participate in domestic spying. The bush regime then canceled contracts with Qwest in retaliation for the refusal and instituted the insider trading investigation.
There are currently a number of class action suits filed against various communication companies in relation to domestic spying. I understand that there is an attempt underway in Washington to pass a law prohibiting lawsuits against the communications industry in regards to their illegal spying on Americans.
Whenever any questions were raised about this spying the regime always claimed it was in response to 9/11 and it was necessary to “protect America”.
So tell me something george. Why is it that you didn’t protect America? You had 7 months of illegal spying under your belt and you didn’t pick up on the 9/11 plot. Was it the same people doing the spying that told you about WMD’s and yellow cake? Is that the problem? Come on george, for once tell the truth. No doubt when this becomes an issue the regime will claim “national security” and refuse to answer any questions. So just what kind of spying are you doing? It obviously isn’t to catch terrorists since your cronies didn’t figure out we were under attack any sooner than I did.
Further, I would like to thank all the people that were stupid enough to vote for our lying, AWOL, drunk, disgrace to the office and country shyster president in 2004. Yes sir, with morons like that voting, the country is doomed.
I will not be holding my breath waiting for the Democrats to impeach our inept marionette of a president either.
I'm also wondering why communication companies need immunity for doing something that bush claims is perfectly legal. Or is that one of those question you're not supposed to ask?
Say what?
I always like it when an argument begins with "I am going to assume this is true"
I always like it when someone pokes fun an another without offering any reason to disbelieve the original statement.
Post a Comment