Bush Shuns Patriot Act Requirement
In the statement, Bush said that he did not consider himself bound to
tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that,
despite the law's requirements, he could withhold the information if he
decided that disclosure would "impair foreign relations, national
security, the deliberative process of the executive, or the performance
of the executive's constitutional duties."
The statement represented the latest in a string of high-profile
instances in which Bush has cited his constitutional authority to bypass
a law.
After The New York Times disclosed in December that Bush had authorized
the military to conduct electronic surveillance of Americans'
international phone calls and e-mails without obtaining warrants, as
required by law, Bush said his wartime powers gave him the right to
ignore the warrant law.
Bush wrote: "The executive branch shall construe the provisions . . .
that call for furnishing information
clipped from: www.truthout.org