Saxby Chambliss: “I would simply say that, again, there is just no doubt this legislation goes beyond the Protect America Act and the…”

“I would simply say that, again, there is just no doubt this legislation goes beyond the Protect America Act and the current FISA statute to protect American's privacy and constitutional rights. After all the discussion, after all the testimony that was presented, after all the debate that took place within the confines of the Senate Intelligence Committee, we found that for 25 years, the members of the intelligence community have been able to conduct surveillance against Americans overseas without a court order. I would point out that they did this in a professional manner and reduced the risk of compromising American's privacy through established minimization procedures. Since FISA's original enactment, the intelligence community has used minimization procedures to ensure that the information being gathered from Americans was necessary foreign intelligence information and from individuals who are foreign agents. This legislation subjects this type of surveillance to a court order, providing new protections for Americans.”