National Security Act of 1947 Violated, Harman Says

The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, the hawkish Jane Harman of California, is saying that the Bush administration broke the National Security Act by not consulting with all members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees about the NSA warrantless eavesdropping program.

The National Security Act of 1947 is the law that created both the Department Of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ms. Harman points out that since the primary purpose of the NSA eavesdropping is collection of intelligence, the administration cannot use the proviso allowing limited notification when dealing with covert action.

Harman still supports the program however:

Unlike some Democrats, Ms. Harman has defended the eavesdropping, which focuses on people in the United States who officials believe have possible links to terror suspects overseas. In a statement on Dec. 21, she said she believed that the program was "essential to U.S. national security and that its disclosure has damaged critical intelligence capabilities."

She is calling for an investigation of the NSA program. I think we all know what kind of inquiry she has in mind.