Saturday, August 6, 2011

White House - Congressman Questions Patriot Act Autopen Signature - Political Hotsheet - Cbs News

Republican Rep. Tom Graves involving Georgia provided President Obama a new mail today questioning the particular constitutionality belonging to the president's by using a device named a strong autopen for you to indication into rules an extension on the Patriot Act.

Congress passed the check Thursday night, shortly just before particular convention of the Patriot Act were set to be able to expire. However, Mr. Obama couldn't indication this bill right away around person, seeing that he what food was in Europe for that G8 Summit. In arrangement that will indicator niche prior to actions expired, he / she , which often supports some sort of coop and also symptoms his true signature.

The White House stated Mr. Obama reviewed plus okayed the balance before authorizing using the particular autopen. The White House also insisted on that experts claim the particular White House Office with Legal Counsel in 2004 motivated which the use of your autopen has been constitutional.

Still, Graves wrote for the chief executive to require evidence that he reviewed the legislation prior to the autopen signing, together with "a detailed, written description of your Constitutional authority to help assign a surrogate the obligation of signing charges flushed by way of Congress into law."

In a strong more report nowadays explaining this letter, Graves stated the utilization in the autopen could collection a "dangerous precedent."

"Any amount with situations could arise from now on in which everyone could question regardless of whether that us president authorized using an autopen," he said. "For example, if your president is hospitalized rather than totally alert, can a group involving intense Cabinet members think of your wink or your pull of the palm as consent of your autopen signing?"

Graves said they at the beginning believed reports from the make use of the actual autopen were "a joke."

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