The AP is reporting that John Ashcroft has confirmed there was a sharp division within the Administration over the constitutionality of some of the controversial provisions of the Bush Administration's warrentless wiretap program.
"It is very apparent to us that there was robust and enormous debate within the administration about the legal basis for the president's surveillance program," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Ashcroft.Ashcroft's confirmation is in stark contrast to the previous testimony of Alberto Gonzales that there had been no significant disagreement within the administration over the program. Clearly this story is developing.
Of course, it might be possible to harmonize their positions by assuming that Gonzales was talking about the administration after Ashcroft, James Comey and all the other dissidents had been purged.
