Feingold Calls Out Intel Chief For Saying Dems Want To Imprison Bush

Senator Russ Feingold is calling the Director of National Intelligence out for telling what seemingly amounts to a massive exaggeration if not downright fabrication of the recent FISA debate in Congress.

In a speech at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina this past week, Vice Admiral Mike McConnell told a crowd that, during the debate over the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, members of Senate called for the outright abolition of the Intelligence Community and even the jailing of President Bush.

"We had a bill go into the Senate. It was debated vigorously," said McConnell. "There were some who said we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community. Some have that point of view. Some say the President of the United States violated the process, spied on Americans, should be impeached and should go to jail. I mean, this is democracy, you can say anything you want to say. That was the argument made. The vote was 68 to 29."

And yet, as Feingold notes, and as a review of the press coverage details, neither of the events McConnell refers to actually happened. The debate over FISA was spirited as Feingold and a minority of senators maneuvered to remove a provision granting telecommunications companies immunity for helping the government with warrentless wiretapping.

But as Feingold wrote in a letter to McConnell: "I am not aware of any Senator saying or suggesting that 'we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community' or that President Bush 'should be impeached and should go to jail.'"

In addition to penning the note to McConnell, Feingold has asked the Intelligence Director to produce actual evidence "of all statements made by Senators during the debate that you believe support [your] assertions."

A spokesman for Feingold said there was no timeline for when they expected a response.

Here is the complete text of Feingold's letter:

The Honorable J.M. McConnell Director of National Intelligence Washington, D.C. 20511

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Dear Director McConnell:

I have received a copy of your March 28, 2008, speech at Furman University. In it, you described Senate action on the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, stating:

"We had a bill go into the Senate. It was debated vigorously. There were some who said we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community. Some have that point of view. Some say the President of the United States violated the process, spied on Americans, should be impeached and should go to jail. I mean, this is democracy, you can say anything you want to say. That was the argument made. The vote was 68 to 29."

As you correctly noted, the bill was the subject of vigorous debate. Many members of the Senate expressed serious concerns about the lack of checks and balances included in the legislation and the potential impact of the new authorities on the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Many Senators were also concerned that retroactive immunity for companies alleged to have cooperated with the President's warrantless wiretapping program would undermine the rule of law.

However, I am not aware of any Senator saying or suggesting that "we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community" or that President Bush "should be impeached and should go to jail." I would therefore appreciate your providing a list of all statements made by Senators during the debate that you believe support these assertions. If there are no such examples, you should issue an immediate correction and an apology.

While all sides of this debate deserve to be heard, to falsely attribute statements to United States Senators serves only to mislead the American people. It also undermines your credibility and that of the position of Director of National Intelligence.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Feingold
U.S. Senator

Comments

[biglover]

I think that on January 20, 2009, there should be a massive turnout in Washington DC to celebrate the exit of this war criminal. Have a huge party. Or in the alternative, parties all over the country celebrating the end of tyranny.

Is anyone up for arranging the trip. Any travel agents out there who have any suggestion.

[biglover]

I think I remember him saying that he didn't think the country would vote for a Jewish man for President. Maybe President Obama will help change these ridiculous voodoos in Goddam nAmerica.

[jimdog1954]

The point is moot. If McCain wins, Bush will pardon everyone except himself (because he can't pardon himself), and President McCain will pardon Bush. If Obama or Clinton wins, Bush will pardon everyone two days before the inauguration, then resign. President Cheney pardons Bush, and they all freakin' walk. Game, Set, Match.

[Nonamnesiac]

The failure of Congress to impeach and remove Bush and Cheney for already proven high crimes and misdemeanors demonstrates Democratic collaboration with those high crimes and misdemeanors, along with the confirmation of torturer Mukasey by a Democratic-run Senate, bi-partisan passage of Bush's war budgets, bi-partisan passage of the Trample on the Constitution Acts 1,2 and 3 (Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act and Protect America Act) and the passage of the FISA Reform Bill with retroactive immunity for telecom company crimes already committed by the Senate.

[Titonwan]

If this was a APRIL FOOL, it wasn't at all funny. You either deleted all of the people that got it, or everybody is stupid or it really happened (which is what I've been hoping all along).

[rtbird55]

Hey!! A Democrat with balls! I love it.

[hugs4u]

Intelligence and a republican in the same sentence is a real oxymoron

[Ken Volok]

News for the Intel chief. A good many Republicans think Bush should be jailed.

[Gilda]

I begged this guy to run for President. Vice-President?

[bick]

they don't WANT to jail bush, they are REQUIRED BY LAW to jail bush. he decimated the constitution he took an oath to protect. he invaded a sovereign nation that did not attack us. he has ordered, condoned, and obviously enjoyed torturing innocent people. he suspended habeus corpus. he let new orleans drown. he spies on his own people. he let ken lay "die" a free man. he allowed terrorists to attack us on 9/11. he pardoned a traitor who outed an american agent in wartime. he can't pronounce "nuclear" after seven years on the job (actually, six years on the job, a year on vacation). HE LIED IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, for fuck's sake. somebody should at least punch him in the mouth.

[unclebucky]

Amen brother, that pretty well summarizes the view of this guy on the Chicago "L" I was talking with. He is just a working guy, and he is spitting mad at the fact that Bush has taken specific steps to decimate the US Constitution. I think 60% of the American People would like to punch him in the mouth. Kick him in the ass, too. I don't want to suggest we want to do that, but that many people would like to....

Can you imagine what the rest of the world would like to see happen to him?

Uuuuuff!

Ugh. --UB.

[treadway123]

But than they would have to jail those who provided false intelligence to the white house. That would include half the CIA,FBI, and Britains Intelligence, Africa Intelligence and other variouse intelligence agencies. You would end up spending BILIONnnnn­nnnnnnnnnn­nn of Americans Money an Manyyyyyyy­yyyyyyyyyy­yyy years of court hearing not only in the US, but all around the world. Than you have Kofa Annea mixed up with Fraud and the Oil for food Program that ended up stealing Billions of dollars from NATO and the US. So some good did come out of the war! But now is a time for Healing, a time to get our troops home, a time to save the US Trillions of Dollars to lower what we owe china and maybe even pay them off---------so we can stand up to them. There is simply to much we can do with money, than to spend it on years upon years of court cost. It would be a bitter barttle that would just cause more divide. Now is the time to Unite. And than put in place LAWS that will hold even the President to accountablity and remember this for future reference!

[biglover]

"They" would never have the votes to impeach. For christ's sake they couldn't get any bills passed let alone impeachment. Get real.

[Nutcase]

I'm confused. I thought all sentient Americans wanted to imprison Bush and all of his toadies.

Je pense, donc je suis populiste.

[bushmocker]

I wonder why no one in the senate did say those things.

[realpolitic]

How do all these Bush minions so rapidly become sycophants and enablers? They even ascribe false, ridiculous statements to others on the behalf of the president. McConnell must have been a thinking person at one time or another in his life. Yet, any touch with Bush renders ordinarily thinking people to become complete automatons. Never has partisanship been so a part of any administration and its political goals clouded any policy debates as in this one. In fact, I doubt there are many policy debates at all among the Bushies and only messages about how to better their propaganda. They are shameless!

[syllepsis]

If there were an Intelligence Community, Mike McConnell would not be in it.

[dr4Will]

Russ has the guts---obama does nothing the the media swoons--left wing nuts on the loose!!