Cong. Rangel Condems Spying on U.S. Residents

CONG. RANGEL CONDEMNS SPYING ON U.S. RESIDENTS
December 18, 2005

WASHINGTON - "The President Apparently Has Chosen to Ignore the Law and to Spy Upon Americans Without Accountability to Anyone."

I agree with President Bush that he must have as much intelligence as possible in order to prevent terrorist activities against our country. But that does not mean that the President may act outside the law by infringing on the privacy rights of Americans.

The Congress recognized this principle, and in 1978 set up a special court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for the specific purpose of authorizing the executive to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists. The President apparently has chosen to ignore the law and to spy upon Americans without accountability to anyone.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the President was authorized to order such eavesdropping by virtue of the fact that he is the Commander-in-Chief. But when asked to cite the provision of the law that provided that gave the President such power without approval of the court, the Secretary simply responded that she was not a lawyer.

This is a nation of laws. It is not enough for the President and his supporters, without judicial oversight, to simply say that his actions are required to prevent another 9/11. The rule of law and the privacy that we enjoy as Americans are two of the things that makes America a great country. If the President was acting lawfully, then it should not be difficult to explain that to the American people.

The revelations of eavesdropping are the latest in a pattern of questionable actions by the Bush Administration, which started with the invasion of Iraq without evidence of weapons of mass destruction or complicity in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

On a recent tour of Europe, Secretary Rice attempted to explain the operation of secret prisons in Eastern Europe and shipping suspected terrorists to other countries for harsh interrogations. Earlier there were reports of spying on domestic groups--such as the Quakers--by the Pentagon's Counterintelligence Field Activity office.

I join my colleagues in Congress, some of them Republicans, who have called for full investigations of the spying revelations. Republicans and Democrats are equally concerned about the actions of an Administration that acts as if it is above the law and not subject to Constitutional restraints.

Any dictator can claim the necessity to violate the rights of his citizens in order to defend the country. I've heard that from Baby Doc in Haiti and others around the world. In America, it doesn't work that way.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny15_rangel/CBRStatementBushSpying12182005.html