Political Quotes

“I wish to share some of the thoughts in that article with my colleagues. First, regarding the Intelligence Committee's carefully crafted and limited liability protections, the three public servants said: We agree with the committee. Dragging phone companies through protracted litigation would not only be unfair, but it would deter other companies and private citizens from responding in terrorist emergencies whenever there may be uncertainty or legal risk. Our committee has heard testimony that without such protections, some companies believe they can no longer cooperate and assist our Government because they would risk hundreds of millions of dollars of their shareholders' money in protracted lawsuits. They have a fiduciary responsibility, those companies, to their shareholders. That is intrinsic in all of our corporate structures. Second, the boards of directors of these companies have a fundamental obligation to those shareholders. On this issue, the three public servants wrote: The government alone cannot protect us from the threats we face today. We must have the help of all of our citizens. There will be times when the lives of thousands of Americans will depend on whether corporations such as airlines and banks are willing to lend assistance.”