According to recent reports, the Obama administration condoned the spying on of senior officials within the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that among the intercepted conversations were communications between U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials.
This shocking report underscores the belief that the Executive Branch continually exceeds its constitutional authorities and has deliberately encroached on the powers granted specifically to the legislative body. If reports are verified, then this most recent gathering of constitutionally protected information cannot be chalked up to an inadvertent mistake but a deliberate attempt to commit an unconstitutional act to influence public opinion and members of Congress.
Spying on the prime minister of Israel and Congress has nothing to do with national security — only politics.
Some may ask how there could be such confidence that this act was deliberate and not an inadvertent result of a more comprehensive dragnet, but they need to only look at the actions that followed the spying to verify the inappropriate behavior.
Once the collection of conversations between the Israeli government and members of Congress occurred, had it been inadvertent, then they would have been destroyed instead of redacted for further use. Had they been inadvertent, then they would not have been forwarded to the White House for review in their redacted form. Had they been inadvertent, then senior administration officials wouldn’t have tried to justify their actions under a National Security Waiver.
The deliberate collection of phone conversations from a trusted ally to influence a debate in Congress is troublesome on its own. But the decision to review and analyze those same conversations that include the deliberative process between those allies and members of Congress is an abuse of power. If National Security Agency (NSA) heads fundamentally lack an understanding of what constitutes constitutionally protected communications, or worse, chose to disregard those directives, then it’s time for the appropriate heads of these agencies to resign.
During recent congressional hearings, we have heard from Obama administration officials that Facebook conversations of non-citizens were somehow considered protected communications. It seems very hypocritical that rights of non-citizens, who are potential terrorists, would be protected but not those of members of the United States Congress.
Earlier this week Republicans on the House Oversight And Government Reform Committee sent a letter to the NSA demanding that it turn over all guidance provided to employees on intercepted communications involving members of Congress.
It is time for resignations and some real accountability at the NSA and any other agencies involved.
Mark Meadows represents the 11th District of North Carolina. He serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
