How the Government Deceived Congress in the Debate over Surveillance Powers (2013)(www.eff.org)

90 pointsby doener7 hours ago6 comments

mwcremer2 hours ago
“I work hard to avoid ~~even~~ only the appearance of impropriety.” —-Not Rep. Richard Hanna
srean5 hours ago
Has anyone in the recent past been punished for lying to the Congress ?
- wahernan hour ago
  I'm not sure about the most recent successful charge, but this is one of the charges used against James Comey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_James_Comey
  Here's a 2018 article listing some prosecutions: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/5-people-who-lied-...
  Because it's the DoJ prosecuting, I'm guessing (but don't know first-hand) that it's uncommon for the government to prosecute administration witnesses, even from previous administrations. Once upon a time Congress would prosecute and impose punishment itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress#Inherent_...
- jkestner3 hours ago
  Mostly, they want to be lied to. If we start holding power accountable, it might come around to them!
- ramon1565 hours ago
  Who's supposed to punish congress, it damn aint the people
actionfromafar6 hours ago
Nowadays, not so much "deceiving" going on but rather "believe me or your lying eyes" vibes coming from the government.
- doener5 hours ago
  I actually miss the days when the US administration in charge at least tried to appear not to be corrupt and malicious.
  - freeopinionan hour ago
    Let's say--hypothetically--that the U.S. President walked out into Times Square in broad daylight and shot a person to death unprovoked. Who would prosecute that crime?
    If you can't (or won't) be prosecuted, why hide your crime?
    unsnap_bicepsan hour ago
    New York State, due to the fact that murder is generally a state level charge and not a federal one. However, your broader point still stands.
3 hours ago
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JohnnyLarue4 hours ago
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shablulman6 hours ago
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