national security

Miller: DOJ should spill on 'secret law'

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:50:15 -0400

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller wants the U.S. Department of Justice to come out of the dark and embrace the sunlight.

Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, introduced legislation today that would force the Justice agency to give more information to Congress about what he calls "secret law," Barb Barrett reports.

Such secrecy has been used in the past, as in a memo by legal counsel John Woo in 2003 that allowed for extreme interrogation techniques, according to Miller.

The bill would require the U.S. Attorney General to tell Congress whenever the executive branch decides it is not bound by federal law.

The White House has in the past relied on secret legal opinions to avoid following the law, charges Miller and Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, who introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

Feingold held a hearing on the issue last spring that found a loophole in the current law that allows some legal decisions to remain secret.

The bill includes special procedures for national security matters.

As for dinner...

bkrueger — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:13:16 -0400

As for dinner...

"Joe Biden can eat John McCain's lunch on national security."

Gov. Mike Easley, speaking to North Carolina delegates at Democratic National Convention

Comments (2)

Obama to discuss Iraq, national security

bkrueger — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:38:43 -0400

Barack Obama will not be doing a public event in Fayetteville tomorrow, but he still may make some news there.

The Obama presidential campaign just announced that the Illinois senator plans to give a "major" speech in Fayetteville on the war in Iraq and national security.

The morning event, at the Tony Rand Student Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College, will not be open to the public. It will be by invitation only, but will be open to press coverage.