Blue Herald

Covert activities carried out by the Pentagon for U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are coming under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress.

Before winning control of both houses in November elections, Democrats’ questions about such things are warrantless wiretapping and the collection of personal data were deflected by majority Republicans, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., has scheduled hearings beginning March 1 to investigate the practices, as well as to determine if the Pentagon created an intelligence agency parallel to the CIA but without the oversight, the Journal said.

Sources with the Intelligence panel said the hearing witnesses likely will include Rumsfeld’s replacement, Robert Gates.

Under Rumsfeld, the Pentagon said its new secret activities in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan didn’t under the legal definition of “covert actions” but were rather traditional military activities intended to help prepare for battle.

Source: UPI