I did a quick search and haven't seen anything yet on this very important story, which former dKos superstar Armando/BTD highlighted yesterday over at TalkLeft, and which the inestimable Glennzilla is all over in his post this morning:
Cheney says top congressional Democrats complicit in spying
Dick Cheney's interview yesterday with Fox's Chris Wallace was filled with significant claims, but certainly among the most significant was his detailed narration of how the administration, and Cheney personally, told numerous Democratic Congressional leaders -- repeatedly and in detail -- about the NSA warrantless eavesdropping program. And, according to Cheney, every one of those Democrats -- every last one -- not only urged its continuation, but insisted that it be kept secret[.]
Greenwald continues:
Either way, Cheney's general claim is as clear as it is incriminating. According to him, key Congressional Democrats were told about the illegal NSA spying program in detail, and they not only actively approved of it, but far beyond that, they insisted that no Congressional authorization should even be sought, based on what was always the patently inane claim that to discuss the fact that the administration was eavesdropping on our conversations without warrants (rather than with warrants, as the law required) would be to reveal our secrets -- "our playbook" -- to Al Qaeda.
(emphasis in original).
Analyzing Cheney's statement, Greenwald deduces that the "key Congressional Democrats" Cheney is referencing include Speaker Pelosi, Rep. Jane Harman, Senator Jay Rockefeller, and -- as Greenwald clarifies in an update, depending on which time period Cheney is referencing (which is unclear from his statements) -- either Senator Reid or Senator Daschle.
As both Greenwald and Armando note, Cheney is quite possibly the single least-credible person in all of D.C., so I'm not suggesting (nor is Greenwald, nor is Armando) that we blindly accept his statement as truth.
But a statement has, nonetheless, been made publicly by the sitting Vice President of the United States, accusing several key members of Congressional Democratic Leadership of complicity in his own serious violations of federal law. If Cheney's on-the-record statement is a lie, then one might reasonably expect the subjects of that statement to quickly and strongly refute that statement.
Or, as Armando says:
The Democratic members who participated in this meeting have two choices in my mind - refute Cheney's statements or admit their complicity in the illegal activity perpetrated by the Bush Administration.
Speaker Pelosi? Ms. Harman? Senator Rockefeller? Senator Daschle? Senator Reid? Over to you...