Some Constitution huggers have raised concerns about the White House engaging in an unprecedented power grab that violates Americans’ privacy rights. Don’t worry, the president’s own privacy board has looked into these questions and found that everything’s just fine. (Thanks to reader W.H. for the tip.)
A White House privacy board is giving its stamp of approval to two of the Bush administration’s controversial surveillance programs — electronic eavesdropping and financial tracking — and says they do not violate citizens’ civil liberties. […]
After operating mostly in secret for a year, the five-member Privacy and Civil Liberties Board is preparing to release its first report to Congress next week.
The report finds that both the National Security Agency’s warrantless eavesdropping program and the Treasury Department’s monitoring of international banking transactions have sufficient privacy protections, three board members told The Associated Press in telephone interviews.
Let’s be clear about what we’re looking at here. The president hand-picked members of his own “privacy board.” The panel has one Democrat, Lanny Davis, who’s been relatively sympathetic to the White House. The panel has no subpoena power and scrutinized the administration’s legally dubious programs by relying on information given to them by the administration. None of the board’s work is open to any public scrutiny.
What’s more, the AP noted that “the White House can change its annual reports before they go to Congress” and “Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has final say over whether officials must comply with the board’s recommendations.”
And now they say the White House’s surveillance programs aren’t troubling at all. Why would anyone possibly be skeptical about the board’s conclusions?
Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, called it absurd that the White House board effectively gave the eavesdropping program its stamp of approval even before the administration was forced to backtrack and submit it to court oversight.
“I have no confidence in the current board in its ability to provide meaningful evaluation of important programs such as the no-fly lists, based on its work on the domestic surveillance program,” he said. “It is critical that Congress make the civil liberties board independent of the executive branch.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said, “Their current findings and any additional conclusions they reach will be taken with a grain of salt until they become fully independent.” Good.
By the way, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board is chaired by Carol Dinkins, a Republican lawyer from Texas, longtime friend of the Bush family, and treasurer of Bush’s first campaign for governor. She is also a partner in the law firm where Alberto Gonzales was a partner.
An independent and objective voice on privacy matters, I’m sure.