Bush Blocks Probe Into Illegal Spying

Forget all about checks and balances, even within this Administration. Presidential power and authority under George W. Bush is omnipotent. The Washington Post is reporting on a statement made yesterday by Attorney General Alberto "the Geneva Conventions are quaint") Gonzales that the President personally blocked a Justice Department investigation.

President Bush effectively blocked a Justice Department investigation of the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program, refusing to give security clearances to attorneys who were attempting to conduct the probe, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday.

Gonzales' statement came during testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. It reinforces earlier testimony that the Bush Administration prevented investigators from conducting their probe by refusing to grant them necessary security clearances.

Some legal experts and members of Congress who have questioned the legality of the NSA program said Bush's move to quash the Justice probe represents a politically motivated interference in Justice Department affairs. Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.), one of the lawmakers who spearheaded calls for the Justice review, said the move is an example of "an administration that thinks it doesn't have to follow the law."

For the President to personally make a decision to obstruct justice is an outrageous abuse of power. Should the courts determine the NSA spying programs were done illegally or on an unconstitutional basis (which Hamdan v. Rumsfeld did) Bush has committed an impeachable offense.