Jeff Flake: “In 2005, while on the House Judiciary Committee, I, along with some others, offered a series of reforms to the process…”

“In 2005, while on the House Judiciary Committee, I, along with some others, offered a series of reforms to the process of issuing national security letters. These reforms came about during the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act. These reforms didn't go as far as I would have liked, but we took the administration at their word when they said that civil liberties would not be violated. During the reauthorization process, I and others were told by administration officials that the reforms we sought were not needed, that the Department of Justice and FBI would never do the hypothetical worst-case scenario that some of my colleagues and I worried about. After a long investigation by the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, I can regrettably say many of the worst-case scenarios actually came about and that our hypotheticals were not so farfetched. The FBI has abused its power both in terms of National Security Letters and exigent letters.”