Securing America's Borders Act

SECURING AMERICA'S BORDERS ACT

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business so I can engage the distinguished chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a colloquy.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

JOINT INQUIRY

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress convened a bipartisan, bicameral joint inquiry into the activities of the intelligence community before and after the attacks. I had the opportunity to serve on the joint inquiry and I am proud of the work that was accomplished there.

In December of 2002, a report was issued in which we stated that the inspector general of the CIA should ``conduct investigations and reviews as necessary to determine whether and to what extent personnel at all levels should be held accountable for any omission, commission, or failure to meet professional standards in regards to the identification, prevention, or disruption of terrorist attacks.''

The report went on to state that the Director of the CIA should take appropriate action in response to the inspector general's review.

The CIA Inspector General completed his report in June 2005. I was surprised that the report took so long to complete, but I am impressed with its quality. After the report of the 9/11 Commission and the joint inquiry itself, it is one of the most thorough examinations of the intelligence community activity before September 11. It provides a unique perspective and makes a number of findings that in my view should be available to the American people as part of the historical record. It also makes a number of recommendations that should be carefully considered.

The public has a right to see these recommendations consistent with the protection of our national security. The American people should be able to read the report and decide for themselves whether the recommendations of the CIA inspector general have been carried out in a satisfactory manner. Both the chairman and the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee have supported the release of this report.

As Chairman Roberts has put it, ``The deaths of nearly 3,000 citizens on September 11, 2001, gives the American people a strong interest in knowing what the [inspector general] found and whether those whose performance was lacking will be held accountable.''

Despite the chairman's request, the CIA has decided not to act on the inspector general's recommendations at all. Not to act at all. It is important to note that the inspector general did not recommend that certain individuals be held accountable. The inspector general merely recommended that the action or inaction of certain individuals be examined to determine whether they should be held accountable. CIA Director Porter Goss has refused to allow even this initial examination.

Two months ago I wrote to the Director of the CIA, Mr. Goss, asking this report be declassified and released as soon as possible. I notified Director Goss if I did not see any progress within 60 days I would take action to release this report to the public. It has been over 60 days and still the CIA has not responded.

In the interest of making this report public and available to the American people, I ask now unanimous consent the Senate direct the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to make this report available to the American people as soon as possible.

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I want to express my appreciation to the chairman of the Intelligence Committee for his willingness to work with me and for the suggestions and discussions that we have had. I would like to suggest that we bring this issue to the inspector general immediately and ask the inspector general to release this report within 30 days. If the Senator agrees to bring this issue to the inspector general immediately so that staff can begin working with the inspector general's office over the upcoming 2-week recess, and the chairman and I can review their progress when we return, then I would be willing to withdraw my unanimous consent request that this report be made public immediately at this time.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Oregon for his willingness to cooperate on this issue. It is an important one, and I look forward to working with him on it. This certainly sounds reasonable to me. So I think he is absolutely correct in his suggestion. I will be happy to work with him.

Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, because we are going to work together cooperatively to turn this around in the next 30 days, I withdraw my unanimous consent request at this time and express my appreciation to chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Roberts.

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