Friday, June 23, 2006
More violations of terrorists' civil rights
The Washington Post, following up on the NY Times story, reports that:
“[t]he Bush administration, relying on a presidential declaration of emergency, has secretly been tapping into a vast global database of confidential financial transactions for nearly five years, according to U.S. government and industry officials.”
Now why, for nearly five years, would they be doing that? Well, we learn in the second paragraph that ostensibly this is:
“an effort to track the locations, identities and activities of suspected terrorists.”
Apparently just considering “the 2001 attacks” a useful data point, the Post gives us the timeline for this operation:
“Terrorism investigators had sought access to SWIFT's database since the 1990s, but other government and industry authorities balked at the potential blow to confidence in the banking system. After the 2001 attacks, President Bush overrode those objections and invoked his powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to "investigate, regulate or prohibit" any foreign financial transaction linked to "an unusual and extraordinary threat."
And which administration denied “terrorism investigators” access to the SWIFT’s database in the 1990’s? Would have it made any difference in 2001? That part of the story the Post isn’t disclosing. And nothing in the Post article gives even a hint that the operation is now exceeding its mandate. The whole depressing intelligence update to our enemies is here: Bank Records Secretly Tapped.
“[t]he Bush administration, relying on a presidential declaration of emergency, has secretly been tapping into a vast global database of confidential financial transactions for nearly five years, according to U.S. government and industry officials.”
Now why, for nearly five years, would they be doing that? Well, we learn in the second paragraph that ostensibly this is:
“an effort to track the locations, identities and activities of suspected terrorists.”
Apparently just considering “the 2001 attacks” a useful data point, the Post gives us the timeline for this operation:
“Terrorism investigators had sought access to SWIFT's database since the 1990s, but other government and industry authorities balked at the potential blow to confidence in the banking system. After the 2001 attacks, President Bush overrode those objections and invoked his powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to "investigate, regulate or prohibit" any foreign financial transaction linked to "an unusual and extraordinary threat."
And which administration denied “terrorism investigators” access to the SWIFT’s database in the 1990’s? Would have it made any difference in 2001? That part of the story the Post isn’t disclosing. And nothing in the Post article gives even a hint that the operation is now exceeding its mandate. The whole depressing intelligence update to our enemies is here: Bank Records Secretly Tapped.
