Hoekstra Says White House ‘Outside the Law’
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — The White House possibly broke the law by keeping intelligence activities a secret from the lawmakers responsible for overseeing them, the House Intelligence Committee chairman said yesterday.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Republican of Michigan, said he was informed about the programs by whistleblowers in the intelligence community and then asked the Bush administration about the programs, using code names. Mr. Hoekstra said members of the House and Senate intelligence committees then were briefed on the programs, which he said is required by law.
“We can’t be briefed on every little thing that they are doing,” Mr. Hoekstra said. “But in this case, there was at least one major — what I consider significant activity that we have not been briefed on. I want to set the standard there that it is not optional for this president or any president or people in the executive community not to keep the intelligence committees fully informed of what they are doing,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
