Political Quotes

“as the sponsor of the first-degree amendment has noted, this was debated and it was adopted on I believe a 10-to-5 or 9-to-6 vote in the committee, but we found out there were substantial problems with this amendment to which the intelligence community objected. We modified it to the provisions that are now in the current managers' amendment and the underlying bill. The major problem with this amendment is the pleadings. Pleadings have historically been protected during any litigation involving FISA. Congress has only received limited access to certain pleadings, certain actions for audit purposes in controlled circumstances. This amendment I have offered incorporates the national security protection, which the author of the underlying amendment suggested, and it does provide for the 5 years of back opinions from the FISC. This gives the 5 years. We have had semiannual reports from the FISC on all of the opinions handed down in the previous 6 months. It is somewhat burdensome, but I have been negotiating with the Department of Justice lawyers. They say while it is burdensome, this is not objectionable. They prefer not to have it, but the one thing on which they are standing firm and believe they cannot accept is to require turning over the pleadings.…”