Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to comment on the confirmation of three nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, often called the PCLOB. The PCLOB is a vital oversight mechanism, empowered by Congress to investigate and write public reports on some of the government's most secretive and controversial programs. Today, three board member nominees were confirmed to the PCLOB: Edward Felten, a computer science professor at Princeton; Jane Nitze, a former lawyer at the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel; and Adam Klein, nominated to be chair, who is a fellow at the Center for New American Security. I have concerns about some of the policy perspectives the Republican nominees hold. In this case, however, a functioning PCLOB with board members who listen to dissenting views is better than the status quo, where the five-member board has only one member. The PCLOB has been dormant for most of the current administration and regrettably--and in contrary to its statutory mission--has not made all of its previously investigated and written reports public. I look forward to working with the new board members to returning the PCLOB to its core mission of public oversight of classified programs. Additionally, I am particularly grateful for Professor Felten's confirmation. The presence of a true public servant technologist on the PCLOB will hopefully raise awareness and understanding surrounding controversial surveillance programs that use advanced technology.…”