Bush, Cheney Assail Media over Bank-Data Program

BUSH, CHENEY ASSAIL MEDIA OVER BANK-DATA PROGRAM
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Caren Bohan]
President George W. Bush on Monday denounced as "disgraceful" the revelation by the media of a secret U.S. program that tracks international financial records in pursuit of terrorists. Vice President Dick Cheney also singled out The New York Times for criticism of its reporting on both bank-records searches and a separate anti-terror program involving warrantless eavesdropping on phone calls. The U.S. Treasury Department since the September 11 attacks has been examining data from a Brussels-based financial consortium for evidence of potential activity by terror groups. Despite the government's efforts to keep the program quiet, The New York Times laid out the program in detail last week and other major U.S. newspapers also reported on it. President Bush said the financial-records monitoring was legal and an important tool for preventing terror attacks. "Congress was briefed. And what we did was fully authorized under the law. And the disclosure of this program is disgraceful," President Bush said.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID...

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