Specter says Gonzales could be called to testify on eavesdropping again News
Specter says Gonzales could be called to testify on eavesdropping again

[JURIST] US Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) [official website], chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website], has said that the committee may recall US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile] to testify about the administration's domestic surveillance program [JURIST news archive]. Gonzales testified [JURIST report] before the committee last month and later followed up that testimony with a letter [PDF text], which Specter said suggests that the administration is operating other classified intelligence programs beyond the NSA domestic eavesdropping program. Gonzales said last week that the administration is not conducting any additional warrantless domestic surveillance [JURIST report] beyond what President Bush acknowledged in December, but Specter nonetheless said that Gonzales could be brought back before the judiciary committee.

Ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [official website], has voiced frustration [JURIST report] with Gonzales' response to requests for information about the program. Leahy on Monday called for Gonzales to "clear up the confusion he created first by ducking our questions, and later by further clouding the issues with a 'clarifying' letter that substantially revised his unsworn testimony." AP has more.