Joe Biden: “I want to make in my opening statement here a clarification for anyone listening as to what we are doing here, because…”

“I want to make in my opening statement here a clarification for anyone listening as to what we are doing here, because we are really not changing anything that is not already done in any significant way. These multipoint wiretaps are made out to be this major new concoction that they have come up with to interfere in the lives of people. I was told in the House conference that some Members of the House thought that it meant that the FBI would be in vans roving down the street literally eavesdropping on people's homes. It is bizarre what people think this means. Let me explain what has to happen now to get a multipoint wiretap. There are all sorts of provisions built into the law now for the Federal Government: One, the Government must convince a judge that there is probable cause to believe that a specific person is committing a specific crime, as with any other wiretap. Two, the application even to ask a Federal judge for one of these wiretaps is approved at the very top level of the Justice Department...”