Political Quotes

“the Senate is preparing to pass another 4- year extension of the USA PATRIOT Act. I have served on the Intelligence Committee for over a decade and I wish to deliver a warning this afternoon. When the American people find out how their government has secretly interpreted the PATRIOT Act, they are going to be stunned and they are going to be angry. They are going to ask Senators: Did you know what this law actually permits? Why didn't you know before you voted on it? The fact is anyone can read the plain text of the PATRIOT Act. Yet many Members of Congress have no idea how the law is being secretly interpreted by the executive branch because that interpretation is classified. It is almost as if there are two PATRIOT Acts, and many Members of Congress have not read the one that matters. Our constituents, of course, are totally in the dark. Members of the public have no access to the secret legal interpretations, so they have no idea what their government believes the law actually means. I am going to bring up several historical examples to try to demonstrate what this has meant over the years. Before I begin, I wish to be clear I am not claiming any of the specific activities I discuss today are happening now. I am bringing them up because I believe they are a reminder of how the American people react when they learn about domestic surveillance activities that are not consistent with what they believe the law allows.…”