Lawmakers to Press Gonzales for Details on Surveillance Program

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=afGl13Q_wlVo&refer=us

Lawmakers to Press Gonzales for Details on Surveillance Program

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Members of Congress say they'll keep pressing for details about President George W. Bush's domestic eavesdropping program after the government reversed itself and sought court approval of the secret spying on U.S. citizens.

Senators will get their first chance today. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales plans to testify before the Judiciary Committee a day following his announcement that a secret court will oversee the monitoring of suspected terrorists, which until now operated without judicial supervision.

``I am pleased that the president has been forced to return to the law,'' Senator Russell Feingold, a committee member and Democrat from Wisconsin, said yesterday. ``While I welcome the decision to stop conducting surveillance without judicial approval, the president now needs to respond fully to legitimate congressional questions.''

While Gonzales said the Justice Department had been ``exploring options'' for judicial oversight since before the program was disclosed in December 2005, the administration's announcement follows Democrats' takeover of Congress. Democratic lawmakers have promised greater scrutiny of the administration's war on terrorism.

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=3145978