SECRECY & THE SECURITY STATE - page 21

Senate Republicans are holding up unusually popular email privacy legislation in order to attach a number of proposals to the bill—one of which would expand federal surveillance powers. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday delayed holding a previously-scheduled vote on the ECPA Amendments Act. The proposal passed the House late last month by a 419-0 margin. Currently, federal law enforcement officials only need a subpoena from a judge to gain access to emails that are more than six months old. The ECPA Amendments Act would…

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A watchdog report leaked to news outlets on Wednesday concluded that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton violated the Federal Records Act by improperly using a personal email server during her tenure as the nation’s top diplomat. The State Department Inspector General’s 83-page probe criticized the current Democratic presidential frontrunner for not properly reporting official government emails that were sent and received through the private server. “Secretary Clinton should have preserved any federal records she created and received on her personal account by printing and filing…

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Consultants representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been spotted making the rounds on Capitol Hill and passing around literature to promote the country’s record fighting terrorism. The lobbying push comes amid renewed scrutiny over the Saudi government’s role in the 9/11 terror attacks, and whether the country can be sued by families of the victims. “The effort here is to display how the Saudis are working lockstep with the US on the financial, operational and ideological fronts in countering extremism and fighting terror,” one…

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A group of Senators are trying to prevent a Department of Justice rule change from taking effect, which could grant the government broad new powers to hack into people’s computers. The Stop Mass Hacking Act was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Wednesday to block an expansion of government surveillance made possible by a tweak to federal court procedures. The change to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procure would allow a magistrate judge, in cases where the location of a computer…

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Last minute attempts to wind down trappings of the Bush-era Global War on Terror were thwarted Wednesday night before lawmakers in the House passed the annual defense bill. An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) put forth by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was defeated in a 285-138 vote. Fifty-seven Democrats joined Republicans to preserve the 15-year-old consent to war. The Obama administration is currently using the law to justify its ongoing military operations…

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One Republican lawmaker on Wednesday urged the release of a secret portion of the congressional 9/11 report, arguing that keeping it classified could “jeopardize national security.” Appearing on CSPAN’s Washington Journal, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said that he read the so-called 28 pages of the 9/11 inquiry, and claimed they could provide “recourse” to the victims of the terrorist attacks. The pages were classified by the Bush Justice Department shortly after the full report was finalized. Many who are familiar with the section, including the…

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An oversight body charged with keeping tabs on the Central Intelligence Agency reportedly deleted the only draft it had of the Senate’s sweeping review of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 torture program. The watchdog claims it was a “mistake,” according to Yahoo News, and that it is seeking a new copy. The episode, however, confirms suspicions of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the lead author of the torture report. She has said key federal agencies haven’t digested its grim findings,…

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President Obama signed a bill into law on Wednesday that grants corporate whistleblowers new legal tools to fight back against bosses who retaliate. The legislation explicitly states that federal and state trade secret law must exempt disclosures made by employees to government officials “reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law.” The bill, called the Defend Trade Secrets Act, simultaneously makes it easier to sue in federal court for alleged unauthorized disclosures of confidential information. Previously, those alleging an illegal breach of trade secrets could…

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