Political Quotes

“Let me respond to that by saying that The Wall Street Journal published an article on January 27 of this year which quotes what the ACLU uncovered through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Justice. In pertinent part, this revelation that was obtained by the ACLU reads: The DEA Phoenix Division Office is working closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on attacking the guns going to ``blank''--that is redacted--and the gun shows to include programs-operations with license plate readers at the gun shows. At least some agent or agents within the DEA's Phoenix region believed that they had the authority to go to gun shows and use automatic license plate recognition technology to, basically, throw out a dragnet and take in the identities of everyone who was attending a constitutionally protected activity. That is what this amendment attacks. At least some elements within the DEA thought that they had this authority. They thought they had this power. I don't think this is creating any new legislation, because it is going after a power they believed they already had and believed that they had the ability to exercise. So the withdrawal of funding to something they thought they had the power to do is not creating a new oversight or provision. I forget the word the gentleman used. It is not legislating in the sense of giving them a power they didn't already have. They thought they had this power.…”