Angie Craig: “I think in the closing moments prior to the cloture vote and following that the Senator was very open, and I appreciate…”

“I think in the closing moments prior to the cloture vote and following that the Senator was very open, and I appreciate his willingness to come together with the House to try to resolve it. What is most important--and I want to say it and I want to say it again--for those of us who offered the SAFE Act and stood together, our intent was not to kill the PATRIOT Act and it never has been. I would hope that this process does not end up in the PATRIOT Act expiring without modifications of it and the reauthorization of it. The chairman certainly has spent a good deal of time in that effort, as have I and many others. His willingness now to sit down and to attempt to work this out, all of that is doable and can be accomplished, especially if the time we are now involved in, in dealing with DOD conference and DOD reauthorization and the budget reconciliation conference is going to be protracted to the extent of the rules of the Senate, then we do have that time more than ever. I would hope it is possible to come together. I do know the Justice Department has stated that all ongoing investigations would not be compromised during the period of time in which the PATRIOT Act might expire. That is not the point. The point is we ought to do it.…”