House Intelligence Committee to investigate CIA secret assassination plan News
House Intelligence Committee to investigate CIA secret assassination plan

[JURIST] The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee [official website] will launch an investigation into plans by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [official website] to assassinate al Qaeda members, the Committee announced [press release] Friday. The Committee has already requested documents [Washington Post report] from the CIA and will likely hold hearings, according to Committee-member Jan Schakowsky [official profile]. The Committee hopes to learn whether former vice president Dick Cheney told the CIA to hide the program from Congress as media reports alleged [NYT report; JURIST report] last week. Former Bush administration officials have defended the decision not to reveal the program to Congress on the grounds that the program was only in the planning phase and not yet fully developed. It is not yet known whether the committee will call Cheney as a witness.

Members of Congress called for an investigation [JURIST report] into the program earlier this week. CIA director Leon Panetta [official profile] revealed the program to Congress and announced its termination in June.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.