Revolving Door: Ashcroft Calls For Telecom Immunity

Former Bush Administration Attorney General John Ashcroft has been asking Congress to extend retro-active immunity to telecommunication firms that complied with the Administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

Although Ascroft was representing a client, AT&T, a cynic might think he was lobbying in self-interest. After all, should the 40-odd lawsuits move forward, the courts will examine Department of Justice acts under Ashcroft's watch:

All discovery has been blocked so far by the administration's argument, still awaiting court resolution, that the suits are barred because they involve state secrets. What tantalizing clues about the surveillance have emerged so far have come from affidavits entered into the record by the plaintiffs.

If the AT&T case is allowed to proceed, for example, the plaintiffs will ask a judge to consider documents provided by a former AT&T technician, Mark Klein, that suggest a massive effort by the National Security Agency to tap into the backbone of the Internet to retrieve millions of e-mails and other exclusively domestic communications.

Related:
What Is the NSA Wiretapping Scandal?
Should Congress Provide Blanket Immunity For Wiretaps?
FISA Reports To Congress - 1979-2006
What Is FISA?