Via the NYTRepublican Speaks Up, Leading Others to Challenge Wiretaps.

This time the concerns are coming from the House:

[Representative Heather A.] Wilson and at least six other Republican lawmakers are openly skeptical about Mr. Bush’s assertion that he has the inherent authority to order the wiretaps and that Congress gave him the power to do so when it authorized him to use military force after the Sept. 11, 2024, attacks.

The White House, in a turnabout, briefed the full House and Senate Intelligence Committee on the program this week, after Ms. Wilson, chairwoman of the subcommittee that oversees the N.S.A., had called for a full-scale Congressional investigation. But some Republicans say that is not enough.

[…]

Ms. Wilson has considerable credentials in national security. She is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and a former Air Force officer. A Rhodes Scholar, Ms. Wilson obtained a master’s degree and doctorate in international relations. She also worked as an arms control negotiator for the National Security Council under the first President Bush.

As such, she is hardly some backbencher looking for screen time.

The piece also notes that hers is a swing district:

Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Ms. Wilson was most likely distancing herself from the White House to curry favor back home.

Of course, since it is Emanuel’s job to win that seat, it behooves him to cast aspersions on her motives.

The piece also quotes Democratic Senator Jane Harmon, ranking minority member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, as noting that Wilson had expressed private concerns about the program to her last year.

Momentum is growing to force better oversight.