All that's known to the public is that there was some program, or rather a sometimes-program, initiated shortly after 9-11-01, that was kept from Congress on orders of VP Cheney, according to a 'knowledgeable source'.
I would almost suspect Cheney of anything up to a forked tongue and cloven hooves, but right now this almost seems a sound and fury. Was this program actually illegal? Was it legal to keep it secret? If not, exactly who in Congress should legally have been informed? How closely is this tied to current debates over how many in Congress must be informed of CIA activities? How closely is it tied to Speaker Pelosi's scandal?
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
quote:Was it legal to keep it secret?
More importantly, does the Vice President have the power to issue such an order?
--j_k
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
quote:More importantly, does the Vice President have the power to issue such an order?
Hmmm. You know, I wonder if that depends on whether the President authorizes the VP to take certain actions in the President's name?
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
We go around and around on this, but I believe that the President doesn't have the right to authorize the VP to do much at all. The VP isn't even technically a member of the executive branch- he's in the Senate.
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
As I understand it, the President has a pretty wide latitude towards granting other people his power, so if the President has the power to do something, it's very likely that the Vice-President could be granted it. Ultimately, that should shake out as the President being held both practically and legally culpable for those actions, but I very much doubt that it would.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
quote:We go around and around on this, but I believe that the President doesn't have the right to authorize the VP to do much at all. The VP isn't even technically a member of the executive branch- he's in the Senate.
What? This is incorrect, Orincoro. The Vice President is listed in Article II. The Vice President is also listed in Article I, but exactly half of those mentions specifically deal with times the VP isn't executing Executive Branch duties. More accurate to say the VP is sort of in both.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
The vice president is part of the executive.
it's only ever been Cheney himself who has tried to assert otherwise.