Legislative Background
Recent Action on Domestic Surveillance
The media’s disclosure on December 15, 2005, that the Bush Administration had been conducting a warrantless surveillance program since 2001 set off a series of legal and political responses, as follows: On December 18, in a live television address, the President confirmed that he had authorized the searches and phone taps. On December 18, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Deputy Director for National Intelligence Gen. Michael Hayden gave a press briefing on the program. On December 22, the Department of Justice defended the program in a letter to the heads of the congressional Intelligence Committees. On January 5, 2006, the…
