Bush defends eavesdropping amid calls for testimony
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-02 10:08

A 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, makes it illegal to spy on U.S. citizens in the United States without the approval of a special court.

Schumer said if the president thought the law hampered the war on terrorism he should have asked Congress to consider making changes.

The Bush administration has argued the eavesdropping is legal and said congressional leaders were told of the program.

Bush said the program was being "constantly reviewed by people throughout my administration."

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) of Kentucky said on "Fox News Sunday" that Congress should focus on investigating who in the U.S. government leaked the existence of the program to the Times.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which usually meets in closed session, would be a better place than the judiciary panel to investigate the program, McConnell said.

According to the Times report, Comey's refusal to reauthorize the NSA program prompted Card and Gonzales to try to get approval from Ashcroft in March 2004 while he was in a Washington hospital for gallbladder surgery.

The Times said accounts of the hospital meeting differed, but that some officials said Ashcroft also appeared reluctant to give his authorization to continue with aspects of the program.

It was unclear if the White House persuaded Ashcroft to approve the program or proceeded without him, the Times said.