Jim Sensenbrenner: “as President Bush has said, Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are nothing short of acts of…”

“as President Bush has said, Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are nothing short of acts of war. No less than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, they were a premeditated, secret, and carefully orchestrated assault on the American people and the great symbols of American power and influence in world affairs. These attacks will not go unanswered. Since this dastardly attack, there has been a flurry of efforts in the House and Senate, proposed legislation, calls for hearings and oversight to find out what went wrong and what improvements can and should be made. While this is certainly understandable, any action by the Congress should not be taken in haste and should be coordinated, not piecemeal. The timing of our action is most important for another reason. In a time of war, the executive branch, and in particular the President, must be allowed to focus solely on identifying, finding, and punishing those responsible. I therefore call on my colleagues, Members and committee chairmen in both the House and the Senate, to refrain from piecemeal legislation and oversight during this crisis and to support the President fully in addressing the challenges ahead. As chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary and entrusted with oversight responsibility for all Federal law enforcement, I am compelled to remind my colleagues the criminal investigation now being conducted is paramount.”