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Cantwell: Intelligence Surveillance Must Protect National Security and Americans' Rights

Statement

Date: July 9, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security


Cantwell: Intelligence Surveillance Must Protect National Security and Americans' Rights

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement regarding the FISA Act.

"We all want to protect our country's national security interests and Americans from those who would do us harm, but to do so without accountability or without checks and balances is contrary to our country's very foundations.

"I have serious concerns about this legislation including whether innocent Americans' privacy rights will be respected.

"I am also troubled that this bill would effectively dismiss 40 pending cases regarding telecom companies' participation in the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. Congress should not be providing blanket immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with the Administration's warrantless wiretapping programs. We don't know precisely what those companies did or the full extent of their actions. Congress should respect judicial review and not take away the only opportunity for redress available to American citizens for potential overreaching by this Administration."


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