Probe into Bush spying details leak

THE US Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak of classified information about President George W Bush’s secret domestic spying programme.

The officials, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the probe, said the inquiry will focus on disclosures to the New York Times about warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency since the September 11 attacks.

The newspaper revealed the existence of the programme two weeks ago in a front-page story that acknowledged the news had been withheld from publication for a year, partly at the request of the administration and partly because the newspaper wanted more time to confirm various aspects of the programme.

Catherine Mathis, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, said the paper will not comment on the investigation.

Revelation of the secret spying programme unleashed a firestorm of criticism of the administration. Some critics accused the president of breaking the law by authorising intercepts of conversations - without prior court approval or oversight - of people inside the United States and abroad who had suspected ties to al-Qaida or its affiliates.

The surveillance program, which Bush acknowledged authorising, bypassed a nearly 30-year-old secret court established to oversee investigations involving espionage and terrorism.

Administration officials insisted Bush has the power to conduct the warrantless surveillance under the Constitution’s war powers provision.