Russ Feingold: “First is what we call the Feingold-Webb-Tester amendment No. 3979. I wish to address some of the arguments that have…”

“First is what we call the Feingold-Webb-Tester amendment No. 3979. I wish to address some of the arguments that have been made in opposition to Feingold-Webb-Tester and to set the record straight about what the amendment does. The Senator from Missouri has suggested it would cut off all foreign intelligence collection because the Government would not be able to determine in advance whether communications are foreign to foreign. This is preposterous. The whole point of the amendment is to allow the Government to acquire all communications of foreign targets when it does not know in advance whether they are purely foreign or have one end in the United States. The administration also argues we should not pass the Feingold-Webb-Tester amendment because it would be difficult and time consuming to implement. That is no reason to oppose the amendment. I understand the amendment imposes a new framework, and that is precisely why the amendment grants the Government up to a year before it goes into effect.”