US House passes spy bill, challenges White House

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a wiretap surveillance bill which President George W. Bush has vowed to veto, deepening a standoff over anti-terror espionage powers.

The Democratic-led House voted 213 to 197 to adopt the measure, which fails to provide retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications firms which cooperated in surveillance after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The vote, before Congress leaves for a two-week spring break, ensures the showdown on the balance between eavesdropping powers and civil liberties will drag on for weeks, even as the White House warns the wrangle threatens American security.

Bush supports a bill already passed by the Senate, which does provide the immunity, sought by...