Liz Saville Roberts: “the Senate did create the Select Committee on Intelligence as a unique means to provide oversight of our sensitive…”

“the Senate did create the Select Committee on Intelligence as a unique means to provide oversight of our sensitive activities in regard to intelligence. I agree with Senator Kerry that more information will improve our ability to conduct the oversight we need to do on intelligence. Senator Rockefeller and Senator Warner and myself, however, believe this intelligence oversight function should remain focused in the Select Committee on Intelligence, as intended by S. Res. 400, the legislation that actually created the Intelligence Committee back in 1976. I can assure my colleagues that the membership of the Senate Intelligence Committee is designed to include significant crossover membership from the various national security committees. For example, I am one of the several Armed Services Committee members currently on the Intelligence Committee, including Senator Warner and Senator Levin. That construct was intentionally created by the Senate to address situations just like this. Transparency is important and open government is critical, but in certain circumstances sensitive information must be handled in a proper way. That is exactly why we created the Committee on Intelligence. This amendment strikes the appropriate balance between the Senate's needs for transparency and the need to handle sensitive information appropriately. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware is recognized.”