Is the CIA Unconstitutional?

[andyfox]

Article 1, section 9 of the Constitution requires that "a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." Since the CIA receives and expends money that is never publicly accounted for, isn't it an unconstitutional agency?

[Zeno]

I think what happens is that the expenditures are listed, but under different headings or titles or listed under other expenditures for regular agencies. For example, under the expenditures for the U.S. Geological Survey monies may be listed for: Electrical Instrumentation for Studies of Steam Flow - $3,000,000. And this is really money the CIA pockets. This may not be exact but I recall reading years ago that CIA money was "hidden" in the budget. So it is reported, just not in a way that can be traced. And this is justified because the budget must be published but we do not want the enemy to know how much money we are spending on spying, or the type of paraphernalia and equipment that is associated with it. But others may know more about this than I.

-Zeno

[MMMMMM]

Is the CIA budget included within the greater DOD budget (or something like that perhaps), which is publicly accounted for?

[brad]

dont worry arthur anderson was/is handling it.

[brad]

actually the real answer is

a) const. no longer in effect anyway

b) cia and stuff like that has 'off the shelf' funding (ok maybe thats not the phrase), eg, dope, arms, etc. they have private financing.

remember iran-contra. ive seen numerous articles describing feith and richard perle as running something much much bigger than that (ie, power outside normal chain of command or whatever)