More Thoughts on Immunity

To follow up PGL’s post on telecom immunity… Steve Benen links to a White House press conference transcript. President Bush takes it away:

We found common ground on FISA. My only question is why change a good law? The way that law was written works for the security of the country. That’s what the American people want to know, by the way, are we passing laws that are beneficial to the American people. This law is beneficial because it enables our intelligence experts to — and professionals to find out the intentions of al Qaeda. Now, the law needs to be changed, enhanced, by providing the phone companies that allegedly helped us with liability protection. So we found common ground there.

Emphasis mine.

Phone companies allegedly helped the administration. Allegedly? The word alleged implies there’s a crime. And if there is a crime, what is it? Is that they, ahem, allegedly helped the administration? How is that a crime… unless what the administration was doing was committing a crime?

And why doesn’t the President just go ahead and pardon the telecom companies anyway?