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"Trampling rights" is Feinstein's job!

Dianne Feinstein says the CIA spied on Intelligence Committee and suddenly realizes the Constitution exists



Senator Dianne Feinstein has been wronged, and she isn't going to take it lying down. This afternoon, she took to the Senate floor and, in excruciating detail, outlined her claims that the CIA had unlawfully spied upon not just her, but upon the entire Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as well.
By now, you've probably heard the story. Feinstein and her committee were investigating an interrogation and detention program that began sometime after 9/11. Depending on who you ask, the inquiry was either a righteous crusade against torture, or a political hack-job designed to give Dems more "blame Bush" ammo. Whatever the goal, Feinstein claims that the CIA was spying on the Select Committee's communications over a network which was set up to facilitate the research. In essence, Feinstein is claiming that the CIA surreptitiously searched the computers used by her and her staff in an effort to determine how the committee had managed to get access to certain internal review documentation that turned up in their reports.
"Let me say up front that I come to the Senate floor reluctantly," Feinstein said. "Since January 15th, 2014, when I was informed of the CIA search of this committee’s network, I’ve been trying to resolve this dispute in a discreet and respectful way."
This is how you know you're already down the rabbit hole. Feinstein is the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. If the CIA really did what she claims, she shouldn't have been working to keep it under wraps. That's called "collusion." If a constitutional crime has been committed, her oath of office doesn't tell her to "handle it discreetly and respectfully." It tells orders her to uphold the founding document and expose it.

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My letter also laid out my concern about the legal and constitutional implications of the CIA's actions. Based on what Director Brennan has informed us, I have grave concerns that the CIA's search may well have violated the separation of powers principle embodied in the United States Constitution, including the speech and debate clause. It may have undermined the constitutional framework essential to effective congressional oversight of intelligence activities or any other government function. I have asked for an apology and a recognition that this CIA search of computers used by its oversight committee was inappropriate. I have received neither. Besides the constitutional implications, the CIA search may also have violated the Fourth Amendment, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as well as Executive Order 12333, which prohibits the CIA from conducting domestic searches or surveillance.
OK, first of all, "violating the Fourth Amendment" IS a constitutional implication. Sorry, ma'am, but however much you may hate the Second Amendment, the Bill of Rights counts. More importantly, the Fourth Amendment is something the American people have been discussing for the better part of a year. Until now, Feinstein has been on the wrong side of the argument. Feinstein, it seems, has no problem with everyone in the United States being spied upon. The "little people" should just accept that reality. She has vociferously defended the NSA's various data collection programs, it's cell phone metadata collection, and it's alleged need to "protect us" by infringing upon our Fourth Amendment protections. In fact, just last week, she delivered a strong defense of the NSA, saying their domestic spying was necessary to safeguard everyday Americans against a never-ending threat of attack. However, when she's the one being watched by the watchmen, she's not so comfortable. Since when has Feinstein shown any regard for lawful government or the Constitution? She never managed to complain about "separation of powers" when President Obama was unilaterally altering his "signature law." Nor did she speak up when he was refusing to enforce immigration or marriage laws. Separation of powers has never mattered to her - because the infringements were causes in which she believed. Now, suddenly, she's the target of abuse. So, what, it's just no fun anymore? Frankly, this is a woman who has made it her life's work to undermine the Constitution. Her never-ending crusade against the Second Amendment has been the focus of her last ten years in office. She also regularly assails the First Amendment with threats of a resurrection of the FCC-empowering "fairness doctrine." The bottom line is: Feinstein has a point. If her complaints are correct, the CIA has - like the rest of the U.S. government - overstepped its bounds. However, the fact that these charges are being levelled by a woman like Feinstein is hypocrisy of the highest order. Perhaps if big government control freaks like Feinstein would have shown a little more interest in the Constitution 20 years ago, they'd be in a better position today. As it is, Feinstein is just a victim of her own Frankenstein's monster.



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