Thursday, October 25, 2007

Bush offers eavesdropping program docs

WASHINGTON - The White House offered Thursday to let the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee view classified documents that they have demanded on President Bush's eavesdropping program.

The offer was an attempt to speed progress on legislation that would legalize the program.

White House legal counsel Fred Fielding offered to let the committee chairman, Patrick Leahy, and the top Republican, Arlen Specter, see documents that might persuade them to include liability protection for telephone companies in a broader rewrite of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.

But Leahy, D-Vt., wants all committee members have access to the documents before he considers giving immunity to telecommunications companies that may have tapped Americans' telephones and computers without court approval, his spokeswoman said.

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