Leahy wants to know about Pentagon spying on protests

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Sun, 1 Jan 2006 13:44:09 -0800 (PST)

Leahy wants to know about Pentagon spying on protests

 

 

 

 

Leahy wants to know about Pentagon spying on protests

 

COLCHESTER, Vt. -- Sen. Patrick Leahy wants the

Defense Department to give him the details about two

Vermont anti-war protests that were monitored by

government officials.

 

 

Leahy, a Democrat, said Vermont had a long tradition

of peaceful political protest.

 

" I want to know the extent of it. I want to know under

what conceivable, conceivable legal justification they

are doing it, " Leahy told Vermont Public Radio.

 

" And even if they could legally justify it, what

dunderhead policy reason (is there) for doing it, " he

said. " And again, I'd like to know how much it cost.

The Department of Defense says we don't have enough

money to get the kind of armor and protection our

troops need in Iraq, but we've got money to go around

and spy on Quaker meetings? "

 

Pentagon policy allows it to take the legal steps

necessary to protect military installations and

personnel from violence.

 

Earlier this month, NBC News reported that the

Pentagon has monitored anti-war protests as part of a

stepped up intelligence collection effort. The efforts

included monitoring two Vermont protests.

 

Joseph Gainza of the American Friends Service

Committee, who helped organize those protests, said he

was not surprised that the Pentagon keeps tabs on the

peace movement.

 

" What disturbed me was that it's part of a larger

pattern that this government seems to be doing what it

pleases and hiding from the American people so much of

its violations of law, " Gainza said.

 

Leahy wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

asking for more information.

 

" Besides, I told the Department of Defense, if they

really want to hear Vermonters speak out against the

war, they don't have to send a camera crew to snoop

around Vermont, just turn on C-SPAN, " Leahy said. " I

do it on the Senate floor all the time. "

 

Gainza said the Pentagon's monitoring of protests

could have a chilling effect on the public's right to

challenge the government.

 

" People don't want to have their names on files

somewhere as doing something which the government

doesn't approve of. People are very concerned about

that, " Gainza said.

 

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