John Kerry: “earlier today, my colleague from Alabama, Senator Sessions, alleged that I have a ``hold'' on the Intelligence…”

“earlier today, my colleague from Alabama, Senator Sessions, alleged that I have a ``hold'' on the Intelligence Authorization Act. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know that in the heat of debate on the Senate floor, words can sometimes come out faster than a Member might intend, so I harbor no ill will toward my colleague. But in the interest of accuracy, I wish to set the record straight. Last autumn, many of us were shocked to read allegations in the press of secret clandestine prisons operated around the world by the CIA as part of the war on terror. Congress has a responsibility to perform oversight in all things, including the intelligence community's conduct in the war on terror. In discussing this amendment last fall, I said, and I repeat today, no one is passing judgment on whether these alleged facilities should be closed. We are simply saying that Congress--and specifically the duly established intelligence committees of the House and Senate--need to know what is going on. On November 10, 2005, I offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Director of National Intelligence to provide a secret report to the Intelligence Committees of the House and Senate on the operation, past or present, of these alleged facilities.…”