Yes, you read that right.

A conservative Republican has called for Clapper’s prosecution.

It’s flagged as a Guardian exclusive, so I assume it isn’t out in the good ol’ US of A yet. And maybe the censors will get to work and keep you all “safe” from this information? And perhaps Sensenbrenner will be off on a Kucinich-esque, Air Force One joy ride in the next couple of days? Suspended upside down from the landing gear housing? But I get ahead of myself.

The conservative Republican who co-authored America’s Patriot Act is preparing to unveil bipartisan legislation that would dramatically curtail the domestic surveillance powers it gives to intelligence agencies.

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, who worked with president George W Bush to give more power to US intelligence agencies after the September 11 terrorist attacks, said the intelligence community had misused those powers by collecting telephone records on all Americans, and claimed it was time ‘to put their metadata program out of business.’

…

Sensenbrenner also called for the prosecution of Obama’s director of national intelligence, James Clapper, who admitted misleading the Senate intelligence committee about the extent of bulk collection of telephone records.

‘Oversight only works when the agency that oversight is directed at tells the truth, and having Mr Clapper say he gave the least untruthful answer should, in my opinion, have resulted in a firing and a prosecution,’ said the congressman.

Sensenbrenner is demanding meaningful reform and regulation of the NSA. Meaningful enough that DiFi has been forced to break cover. No doubt, she’ll be swiftly followed by Mme Pelosi. Oh what is it about California that produces this particularly nasty sub-species of “Democrat?”

That aside. Here is the link. I think this is dynamite, and the pity is that it will be lost in the noise of the shut down/debt limit farce.

update: I should add. This is appearing as an exclusive in the Guardian. Weird alliances being formed post-Snowden, or pure chance? You decide. My guess is they have more political friends in the US than in Britain, where the odious establishment, the hereditary equivalent of the US’s 0.1%, are queuing up to denounce the newspaper for aiding terrorism, ignoring some kabuki theatre from the Liberal Democrat, coalition partners.

Ex-securocrat, and one time UK torture and rendition specialist, Jack Straw has been particularly prominent. He, incidentally, belongs to the “left” wing opposition party in the UK! He has form. Boy, does he have form.

update 2: Here’s what it says it does on the tin.

Public domain photo from Wikimedia Commons.