Chuck Schumer: “The amendment I will offer expresses a sense of the Congress that the Attorney General should appoint a special counsel…”

“The amendment I will offer expresses a sense of the Congress that the Attorney General should appoint a special counsel to conduct an independent investigation of the leak of a CIA agent's identity. The bottom line is this--and we have been through this on the floor, so I will not go over the basic facts, other than to say that, to me, this act--disclosing the name of an undercover agent--is dastardly. It places a gun to the head of that agent; it puts in grave danger operatives that agent may have had while he or she was undercover and, of course, perhaps most important of all, it says to every member of our intelligence community who puts themselves on the line, just as our soldiers do, if you go seek the truth, report the truth as you see it, and somebody upstairs doesn't like it, you are putting yourself or your spouse in real danger. To me, this is something that is not befitting of a great power, not befitting not only because of its immorality--and I believe it is immoral to do such a thing--but also for practical reasons, because when great powers, as history shows us, lose touch with what is actually happening and begin to delude themselves one way or another, they lose power. This country has had as its hallmark truth, open debate, and has had as its hallmark, if you disagree, speak out.”