Specter's NSA Plan Hits Snag

Senate Democrats Also Vow to Block Justice Dept. Confirmation

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 4, 2006; A15

A White House-endorsed plan to formally legalize the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program ran into more political problems yesterday in the Senate, as Democrats successfully maneuvered to block a committee vote on the proposal.

In addition, three of the committee's leading Democrats announced that they would block the confirmation of a senior Justice Department official in protest of a recent move by President Bush. The president effectively stopped a probe into the NSA program by denying security clearances to Justice Department investigators.