Thursday, September 26, 2013

Obama's Idea of Independent Experts: Review panel has close ties to Spy Agency

Stung by public unease about new details of spying by the National Security Agency, President Obama selected a panel of advisers he described as independent experts to scrutinize the NSA’s surveillance programs to be sure they weren’t violating civil liberties and to restore Americans’ trust. 
But with just weeks remaining before its first deadline to report back to the White House, the review panel has effectively been operating as an arm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the NSA and all other US spy efforts.
The panel’s advisers work in offices on loan from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Interview requests and press statements from the review panel are carefully coordinated through the Director of National Intelligence’s press office. 
James Clapper, the intelligence director, exempted the panel from US rules that require federal committees to conduct their business and their meetings in ways the public can observe. Its final report, when it’s issued, will be submitted for White House approval before the public can read it. 
Even the panel’s official name suggests it is run by Clapper’s office: "Director of National Intelligence Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies."
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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1 comment:

BOSMAN said...

Why even bother to do this if the whole process is a sham?