Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce with Senator Lieberman the Securing Terrorist Intelligence Act. Last Congress, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee heard testimony from the three top U.S. intelligence officials about the errors the Federal Government made in handling the unsuccessful 2009 Christmas Day terrorist plot. We dodged a bullet that day when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian-born terrorist, failed to detonate a bomb on Northwest flight 253 in the skies above Detroit. While critical information was not shared prior to Abdulmatallab boarding that plane, a significant error also was committed by U.S. officials after that foreign terrorist had already been detained in Detroit, an error that may well have prevented the collection of valuable intelligence about future terrorist threats to our country. The error became clear during my questioning of the top intelligence officials at the committee's hearing held in response to this failed attack. I was stunned to learn that the decision had been made to place this captured terrorist into the U.S. civilian criminal court system after just 50 minutes of interrogation--and without any consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, or the Secretary Homeland Security. That decision was critical. The determination to charge Abdulmutallab in civilian court likely foreclosed the collection of additional intelligence information.…”