Eshoo Faults IG Report on Pentagon Program
Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo, a Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, faulted a report from the Inspector General (IG) for the Department of Defense for failing to conduct a comprehensive examination of a program that collected and stored information on anti-war protests in Santa Cruz and around the country.
Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, requested the IG examination in January 2006 after press reports that the Pentagon kept a database with information on anti-war protests, including a peaceful demonstration in April 2005 at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Threat and Local Observation Notice (TALON) database program was established in 2001 to collect raw but unsubstantiated reports and tips of suspicious activity around military bases.
"The TALON program raises serious concerns about the potential for the military to violate the civil liberties of U.S. citizens exercising their First Amendment rights," Eshoo said. "Unfortunately, the Inspector General chose to take a very narrow review of TALON and failed to examine the most fundamental issues about the program.
"The IG report does not assess who is accountable for violations of Defense Department regulations or explain why they occurred in the first place. The report neglects to assess whether adequate safeguards are now in place to protect the public. The report also fails to recommend whether TALON should be continued.
"By failing to address the most basic and important questions, the IG report creates the impression that there are no consequences for failing to protect the civil liberties of American citizens," Eshoo said.
Eshoo's response to the Inspector General's report was signed by five other Members of the House Intelligence Committee.