FC: Bush rejects requirement to oversee U.S. spy agencies

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[From Steven Aftergood's newsletter at fas.org. --Declan]

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BUSH REJECTS INTELLIGENCE REPORTING REQUIREMENT

In the latest assertion of executive branch predominance, President Bush
dismissed a provision in the FY 2002 intelligence authorization bill
that would require written reports to Congress of "significant
anticipated intelligence activities" and "significant intelligence
failures."

In a December 28 signing statement, the President said that the new
requirement "falls short of the standards of comity and flexibility that
should govern the relationship between the executive and legislative
branches on sensitive intelligence matters...."

He said he would interpret the law "in a manner consistent with the
President's constitutional authority to withhold information the
disclosure of which could impair foreign relations, the national
security, the deliberative processes of the Executive, or the
performance of the Executive's constitutional duties."

See the President's statement here:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2001/12/wh122801.html

Intelligence community procedures for granting legislative branch access
to intelligence information are set forth in Section 8.0 of Director of
Central Intelligence Directive 1/19, "Security Policy for Sensitive
Compartmented Information and Security Policy Manual":

     http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/dcid1-19.html#leg




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