Washington – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales argued Tuesday that the requirements of a secret intelligence court are too cumbersome for rapid pursuit of suspected terrorists, repeating the administration’s position that warrantless wiretapping authorized by President Bush does not violate the Constitution or federal law.
Gonzales’ speech at Georgetown University’s law school was part of the Bush administration’s effort to defend a program that allows the National Security Agency to intercept calls to and from the United States without warrants. He used the appearance to echo statements made Monday by Bush, who referred to the effort as a “terrorist surveillance program” and characterized it as a crucial tool against violent militants.
“It is an early warning system with only one purpose: to detect and prevent the next attack on the United States,” Gonzales said. “It is imperative for national security reasons that we can detect reliably, immediately and without delay whenever communications associated with al-Qaeda enter or leave the United States.”
Gonzales’ appearance was part of a three-day White House campaign to defend the NSA’s warrantless monitoring of phone calls and e-mails. The program was disclosed last month and has been the focus of criticism from many lawmakers, national security experts and civil liberties advocates. Last week, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove provided a plan for Republicans to take control of the issue by painting Democrats as weak on national security.
The appearance was punctuated by a silent protest from more than a dozen students.
Many experts on intelligence and national security law from both parties have said that the president overstepped his authority in ordering the warrantless NSA eavesdropping shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 specifically prohibits such monitoring without a warrant.
