NSA and White House tell FCC to back off

One week after Michael Copps, one of the three FCC commissioners, urged his boss to conduct an investigation into whether it was illegal for a few of the major telephone companies to release caller information to the NSA, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin today rebuked that request, saying it it impossible because the NSA won't let them investigate anything:

"The classified nature of the NSA's activities makes us unable toinvestigate the alleged violations," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said inthe May 22 letter to Markey (Democratic U.S. Rep. from Mass).

 

Verizon and BellSouth have denied turning over telephone callrecords to the NSA. BellSouth has demanded USA Today retract claims inits story.

"We can't have a situation where the FCC, charged withenforcing the law, won't even begin an investigation of apparentviolations of the law because it predicts the administration willroadblock any investigations citing national security," Markey said inresponse to Martin.

FCC Chairman Martin has clear authority to direct the FCC to investigate this matter because all government agencies can check and balance one another.  But it looks like Martin is caving into the request of the Bush Administration to leave this alone.  By this development we can conclude that the Administration considers the NSA and the Pentagon the most dominant agencies in the federal government because they can override any investigation request by using the "terrorism" trump card.

(And this is what democracy looks like?)