Louie Gohmert: “Tonight I wanted to discuss issues regarding the PATRIOT Act. As I understand it, we will be taking up a vote, come…”

“Tonight I wanted to discuss issues regarding the PATRIOT Act. As I understand it, we will be taking up a vote, come Thursday, on what is called the USA FREEDOM Act, I believe. I know that there was a lot of work put into negotiating a compromise there, but I still have a concern, as I did when I was a freshman, with the language in the PATRIOT Act. This is language here from the PATRIOT Act, 50 U.S.C., section 1861, that allows the Federal Government to go into very personal matters and very personal documentation of individuals. Some of us felt like it was allowing the Federal Government to get more than the Federal Government should be entitled to get. There is similar language in the FISA Act. But this language says that the Director of the FBI or a designee of the Director may make an application for an order requiring the production of tangible things, including books, records, papers, documents, and other items for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a United States person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities. And there was a provision put in there that says such investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.…”