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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three Democratic and two Republican senators have sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate's Judiciary and Intelligence committees, asking for an "immediate inquiry" into President Bush's authorization of a secret wiretapping program.

"We write to express our profound concern about recent revelations that the United States government may have engaged in domestic electronic surveillance without appropriate legal authority," says the letter, which was signed by Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and Ron Wyden, as well as GOP Sens. Chuck Hagel and Olympia Snowe.

"We must determine the facts," says the letter, which was sent Monday.
...
Senators 'deeply troubled'

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and the ranking Democrats on the Intelligence and Judiciary committees, Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Patrick Leahy, sent a separate letter to Bush asking for more information on the program's scope and legal rationale.

The trio said they were "deeply troubled" by Bush's assertion Monday that both his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief and a congressional resolution passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks allowed him to authorize the program.

"In your public statements to date, you have not made a convincing legal argument for the authority to do so," the senators said.

The three senators asked for detailed information about congressional briefings on the program.

They also asked for an explanation of why administration officials didn't pursue changes in the procedures for obtaining warrants, if they found them insufficient "to protect Americans from terrorism."

The final decision on whether the Republican-controlled Congress will hold hearings on the surveillance program rests with its GOP leadership.

CNN

Fair play!