Fox/Reid/legal scholars/illegal
wiretapping
Media Matters
March 16, 2006
Summary: Fox News correspondent Jim Angle cropped a quote from Senate
Democratic Leader Harry Reid to falsely suggest that Reid did not agree with
Sen. Russ Feingold that the Bush administration's warrantless domestic
wiretapping program is illegal. Angle's report marked the second consecutive
day that a reporter for Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume cropped a quote
from one of Feingold's Democratic colleagues to falsely suggest that Feingold
is alone in having legal objections to the program.
In a March 14 report on Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) resolution to censure
President Bush for apparently violating the law by authorizing the National
Security Agency (NSA) to conduct surveillance of U.S. residents without a court
order, Fox News chief Washington correspondent Jim Angle cropped a quote from
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) to falsely suggest that Reid did not
agree with Feingold that the warrantless domestic wiretapping is illegal. Angle
omitted a portion of Reid's remarks -- made during a March 14 press conference
-- in which the senator stated that "most legal scholars around the country
think that what is going on [under Bush's program] is illegal," as well as an
earlier remark from the same press conference, in which Reid said he personally
believes the program is "illegal and unconstitutional." Angle's report marked
the second consecutive day that a reporter for Fox News' Special Report with
Brit Hume cropped a quote from one of Feingold's Democratic colleagues to
falsely suggest that Feingold is alone in having legal objections to a program
that even many Senate Republicans agree violates the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA). Angle himself previously cropped a remark by Sen.
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) to suggest that Kennedy did not believe the program is
illegal.
Reporting on Feingold's Senate resolution, Angle stated that "even the
Democratic leader seemed to argue [the program] should be ratified by Congress,
not dismantled." Angle then aired a video clip from a March 14 press conference
in which Reid stated that "the president should have the legal authority to do
whatever is necessary to find out what these bad people [terrorists] are trying
to do to America. He should have that authority." But Angle left out the next
portion of Reid's remarks, in which he stated that "most legal scholars around
the country think that what is going on [under Bush's wiretapping program] is
illegal." In an earlier portion of the press conference, Reid had also stated
that he personally believes Bush's wiretapping program to be "illegal and
unconstitutional."
From Reid's March 14 press conference:
QUESTION: Senator, do you think the president broke the law [inaudible]
warrantless wiretapping?
REID: As I've said before, I think what he is doing is illegal and
unconstitutional based upon what I've read and what I've been told. Not told in
any of the briefings that I've had.
But I think what we have before us now is a functionless Intelligence
Committee. They refuse to look at pre-war, pre-9-11 intelligence manipulation.
And now they have refused every step of the way to give the Congress the
ability to find out what the president's doing.
On the Senate floor yesterday, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary
Committee [Arlen Specter (PA)], when asked questions in a colloquy he was
having with another senator -- he was asked whether he thought the program was
illegal, he says, "I don't know. I don't know what the facts are."
So as far as the Feingold resolution legislation, if it were handled
properly what would happen is it was referred to the Judiciary Committee, and
it was. And the Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on this, so that the
American people and Congress can find out what's going on with the program.
[...]
QUESTION: Senator Reid, I'm wonder how you would react. Senator Feingold
said to some of us that Democrats are cowering on the issue by not voting on
the censure resolution. But your consultants are telling you that this
particular issue is a losing issue. And he quoted that.
REID: Senator Feingold I don't think said it in the context that you talked
about. Because there's no way to vote on it, I mean, at this stage. And I don't
think Senator Feingold wants a vote until he has a hearing. He hasn't called
for a vote on this immediately. That's one reason I protected him out there
yesterday.
There is a process on legislation. And that's what the Senate is all
about.
And first of all, understand on the NSA spying, the president should have
the legal authority to do whatever is necessary to find out what these bad
people are trying to do to America. He should have that authority.
And we have reached out to the president. We've reached out to the president
and said, "Is there something we need to do to change the law?" Because most
legal scholars around the country think that what is going on is illegal, that
much that we know about it.
So there's not a question that Democrats don't believe these people should
be able to be listened to. It's just that we believe it should be done
legally.
From the March 14 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
ANGLE: Polls do show considerable support for the NSA program, and even the
Democratic leader seemed to argue it should be ratified by Congress, not
dismantled.
REID [video clip]: The president should have the legal authority to do
whatever is necessary to find out what these bad people are trying to do to
America. He should have that authority.
ANGLE: Democrats are torn between wanting to criticize the president on one
hand, but on the other not wanting to torpedo a potentially valuable program to
gain intelligence on terrorists. So, when frequent critics of the president
were given another opportunity to embrace the Feingold effort today, they
declined.
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