Bush once more sites constitutional authority to disobey law

[mburbank]

Kev; check this:

AP wire

Washington - The National Security Agency could have legally monitored ordinarily confidential communications between doctors and patients or attorneys and their clients, the Justice Department said Friday of its controversial warrantless surveillance program.

Responding to questions from Congress, the department also said that it sees no prohibition to using information collected under the NSA's program in court.

"Because collecting foreign intelligence information without a warrant does not violate the Fourth Amendment and because the Terrorist Surveillance Program is lawful, there appears to be no legal barrier against introducing this evidence in a criminal prosecution," the department said in responses to questions from lawmakers released Friday evening.



So... you can listen in on conversations someone has with their lawyer without a warrant and then use that information against them in court? In addition to all the other outrages that raises, wouldn't those presumably be calls that were made AND recieved in teh united states? And all the DOJ need to do this is their statement that they have secret reasons to believe you might be a terrorist? What's in place that could prevent them from listening in on ANYONES conversation with their lawyer and then using it against them in court? Doesn't this fundamentally change the nature of the adverserial justice system?