independently assisting oversight of highly classified programs

[Douglas Lucas]

Indeed, Daniel Ellsberg planned to have Congresspeople speak about the
still-classified Pentagon Papers via this part of the Constitution.
Senator Mike Gravel did it. You can read about it in Sanford J. Ungar's
book The Papers & the Papers: an Account of the Legal and Political
Battle over the Pentagon Papers. If I'm not mistaken, Gravel has spoken
out in favor of Snowden.

Douglas

On 01/19/2014 06:06 PM, grarpamp wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 10:26 AM, coderman <coderman at gmail.com> wrote:
>> now describe to me what happens when the session is over, their
>> attendance complete, they return home, and then still find themselves
>> having leaked classified information without authorization.
> 
>> """
>> US Constitution - Art 1, Sec 6:
>> The Senators and Representatives ... for any Speech or
>> Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other
>> Place.
>> """
> 
> As before, it's rather clear, speak/leak all you want in session,
> nothing criminal happens. The deleted part refers to non-congressional
> activities/crimes/places... like murder, or to congressional
> activities/crimes/places such as taking bribes... that are not
> speech/debate on the floor or activities directly related to that,
> like storing classified leaks in your office pursuant to leaking them.
> 
> More, just read it all yourself...
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel_v._United_States
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Traficant
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Congressmen_stripped_of_committee_assignment
>