Political Quotes

“I would like to alert my colleagues that I intend to object to any unanimous consent agreement for the consideration of S. 1793 or its companion, H.R. 2076, the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2011. Unless changes are made to address my concerns with the legislation, I will continue to object. I oppose S. 1793/H.R. 2076 in its current form because it would expand the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by giving it authority to conduct investigations of State crimes, and I believe that that is a bad precedent to set. The FBI should not be turned into a roving national police force. I do believe in allowing Federal law enforcement agencies to assist State and local agencies, when requested. Agents providing assistance should be afforded civil liability protection. Unfortunately, the bill excludes all other Federal law enforcement agencies that routinely provide law assistance to local law enforcement when requested. For example, local police believed the Secret Service possessed the expertise they needed to assist in their investigation of the Boston ``Craigslist Killer.'' As a result of this expert assistance, the killer was captured. There is no reason to limit States and localities to the assistance of the FBI alone, when other agencies may have the particular expertise that is needed. Too many people think that only the FBI helps local law enforcement. That's simply not true.…”