Mr. "Nonpartisan"
Power Line
On January 5 the putatively nonpartisan Congressional Research Service issued a widely covered report written by Elizabeth Bazan and Jennifer Elsea. The report addressed presidential authority to condcut warrantless electronic surveillance to collect foreign intelligence information. John's long post criticizing the report and the Washington Post's coverage of it is "They'll be okay if no one reads the report."
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The Congressional Research Service followed up with yet another report on January 18, this one by Alfred Cumming on the statutory procedures under which Congress is to be informed of intelligence activities. According to the Washington Post story on the report, Cumming found that the administration "appears to have violated the National Security Act by limiting its briefings about a warrantless domestic eavesdropping program to congressional leaders[.]" Here are a few citations of Cumming's report touting its nonpartisan auspices:
<<< Sen. Schumer: "The CRS, Not Partisan - It's Not Democrat Or Republican..."
SEN. SCHUMER: "You know, this idea that some have that strength and the ability to defend ourselves is in contraposition against rule of law, the kinds of checks and balances we've had in America that's the hallmark of our system, is false. You can have both. Now, the CRS, not partisan - it's not Democrat or Republican."
CNN'S WOLF BLITZER: "The Congressional Research Service?"
SEN. SCHUMER: "The Congressional Research Service, thank you."
BLITZER: "That's part of the Library of Congress?"
SEN. SCHUMER: "Part of the Library of Congress. These are a bunch of, you know, nonpartisan people. They studied this and said the president didn't have the authority." (CNN's "Late Edition," 1/22/06)
DNC Chairman Howard Dean: "You Don't Have To Believe The Democrats. Look At The - The - The Nonpartisan Organizations, Like Congressional Research Service. They Have Concluded The President Broke The Law." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 1/20/06)
NBC's Katie Couric: "Well, Dan, Apparently Not Everyone Agrees With That. Last Week A Legal Analysis By The Non-Partisan Congressional Research Service Concluded That The Administration's Limited Briefings Were, Quote, 'Inconsistent With The Law.'" (NBC's "Today Show," 1/23/06)
The New York Times Cites "A Report By The Nonpartisan Congressional Research Service." "A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service earlier this month, however, called that particular claim into question, suggesting that Congress never intended to give the president power to order wiretaps without a warrant." (Eric Lichtblau, "Gonzales Invokes Actions Of Other Presidents In Defense Of U.S. Spying," The New York Times, 1/25/06)
The Los Angeles Times Cites "Independent Analysts Such As The Nonpartisan Congressional Research Service." "Rosen said that in the last several weeks, Bush has invited greater Democratic opposition by defending the surveillance program so unapologetically, even after independent analysts such as the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service had questioned its legality." (Ronald Brownstein, "Democrats May Argue Liberties To Their Peril," Los Angeles Times, 1/25/06) >>>
Today Greg Pierce reports in his Washington Times "Inside Politics" column under the subhead "Mr. 'Nonpartisan'":
<<< Hill Democrats and the so-called mainstream media have made much of a recent Congressional Research Service report that asserted President Bush had violated the law by allowing the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on phone calls to the United States from suspected terrorists overseas.
In fact, Democrats such as New York Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as most media outlets, have practically grafted the word "nonpartisan" to the front end of that agency's name.
However, this is Washington, and nothing is quite that simple. What you probably haven't heard is that the author of the report, Alfred Cumming, is a registered Democrat who served as staff director for the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence under since-retired Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat.
And you probably haven't heard that in December the "nonpartisan" Mr. Cumming also authored a 15-page memo for the Congressional Research Service that shored up Democrats' claims that President Bush lied about pre-Iraq war intelligence.
That earlier report said the president and his most senior advisers have access to "a far greater overall volume of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence Information" than Congress.
The "nonpartisan" Mr. Cumming contributed $1,250 to Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, according to the Web site [PoliticalMoneyLine]. >>>
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