Specter Threatens to Cut NSA Funding in Response to Spygate

^{Category: War on Terror}

Frustrated over the Bush administration's failure to address concerns regarding its illegal wiretapping program, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has pulled rank by proposing a bill threatening to cut funding to the National Security Agency if civil liberties concerns are not addressed:

The amendment would enact a "prohibition on use of funds for domestic electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes unless Congress is kept fully and currently informed."

Specter also said he would turn the amendment into a bill and hold hearings ...

Specter made clear that, for now, the threat was just that.

"I'm not prepared to call for the withholding of funds," he told reporters later.

"But I think that it is important to elevate the public consciousness as to what is going on," Specter said. "The four hearings we have had and the way the matter is drifting, in my view, is insufficient to safeguard civil liberties."

U.S. Senate discussion of spygate hearings has largely fallen apart following a heretofore successful effort by Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) to end public hearings regarding the controversy.

See also:

• Frist Threatens Senate Intelligence Committee, Shuts Down NSA Spygate Investigation
• Preview of the Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006
• Intelligence Director Defends Against Charges of "Domestic Spying"