Republicans pull plug on wiretap plan

The Clarion-Ledger, 2/21/8

Republican lawmakers on Wednesday defended their vote against extending wiretap authority to crimes other than drug offenses, saying it would turn Attorney General Jim Hood into a supercop at the expense of civil liberties.

We just have to be really careful when you give that kind of authority for everyone,” said Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, who voted against the measure. Snowden said the bill would make “a super-policeman of the attorney general.”

The bill, part of Hood’s legislative agenda, was voted down earlier this week in the House Judiciary A Committee. Hood, a Democrat, called a news conference Wednesday to accuse Republicans of sinking the bill for partisan reasons.