Justice Dept Reopens Warrantless Wiretapping Inquiry Stymied by Bush

This post, written by Faiz Shakir, originally appeared on Think Progress

In early 2006, the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) launched an investigation to examine whether information "obtained from the NSA program, as well as whether Justice lawyers complied with the 'legal requirements' that govern it."

Just a few months later, the inquiry was shut down because Alberto Gonzales refused to grant security clearances to investigators. Gonzales later suggested to the Senate that Bush made the decision to block the investigation. "The President of the United States ultimately makes decisions about who ultimately is given access," Gonzales said.

The National Journal's Murray Waas reported that Bush shut down the investigation upon learning that Gonzales "would likely be a focus of the investigation." OPR's chief lawyer Marshall Jarrett reported that Bush's actions were unprecedented:

"Since its creation some 31 years ago, OPR has conducted many highly sensitive investigations involving Executive Branch programs and has obtained access to information classified at the highest levels," the office's chief lawyer, H. Marshall Jarrett, wrote in a memorandum released yesterday. "In all those years, OPR has never been prevented from initiating or pursuing an investigation."

"We recently received the necessary security clearances and are now able to proceed with our investigation," H. Marshall Jarrett, counsel for the OPR, wrote to New York Rep. Maurice Hinchey. A copy of the letter, dated Tuesday, was obtained by The Associated Press.