Connie Mack: “a wise man said, ``Freedom is the core of all human progress.'' It is my belief that he is right. Since coming to…”

“a wise man said, ``Freedom is the core of all human progress.'' It is my belief that he is right. Since coming to Congress, I have often been an advocate of oversight. My colleague from Arizona routinely comes to this floor urging us to make oversight a larger part of the congressional process, and I agree with him. It is an area where we all need to pay more attention. Unfortunately, when we turn our attention away, it is often at the expense of our own liberty and freedom. This amendment seeks to spotlight a particular area of concern, the so-called exigent circumstances letters sent out from the FBI to obtain highly sensitive information. While I support using the proper tools to keep our Nation safe, particularly in the war on terror, these letters seem to fall well short of constitutional checks and balances. My colleagues and I fear that innocent citizens are being netted in the process. But, Mr. Chairman, how are we to know that? The very limited justification that comes from the Department of Justice stands on shaky ground. The rest of the time they hide behind national security as a reason for not telling us more. While I am pleased the FBI is taking internal steps to clarify the scope and use of these letters, I believe we should raise the process up by codifying it to ensure there are no questions that civil liberties are not being violated and the information that is coming from these searches is not being used for wrongful purposes.”