Russ Feingold: “I join the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee in expressing my concerns about the Committee's inability to…”

“I join the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee in expressing my concerns about the Committee's inability to conduct oversight of the President's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. Unfortunately, the administration's continued defiance of Congress is simply the latest in a series of efforts to hide its illegal activities and obscure the true extent of its power grab. Let us not forget how we got to this point. For 4 years, the administration conducted a plainly illegal program, eavesdropping on Americans on American soil without the warrants required under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. During this time, the administration refused to inform the full congressional intelligence committees, in clear violation of the National Security Act. Then, late last year, the program was revealed in the press. Rather than admit that it had broken the law and explain why it had done so, the administration used the occasion to embark on a coordinated and misleading public relations campaign. In speeches and press conferences, administration officials repeatedly asserted that domestic eavesdropping without a warrant was necessary to conduct surveillance of terrorist suspects, and it suggested that those committed to the rule of law were unconcerned about the terrorist threat. Even the title the administration has bestowed upon its illegal behavior--the Terrorist Surveillance Program--is misleading.…”