FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2008
Contact: Wendy Morigi
ROCKEFELLER CALLS WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN STATEMENT ON PROTECT AMERICA ACT (PAA) LUDICROUS AND RECKLESS
Washington, DC -- As Congress prepares to reconvene next week and address necessary permanent changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Senator Rockefeller is encouraging the White House not to engage in a misinformation campaign that could hinder efforts to improve our national security programs.
In specific response to comments made by a White House spokesman yesterday, Senator Rockefeller made the following statement:
"I understand the White House's desire to see legislation passed updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Indeed I share that goal. Inaccurate and inflammatory statements, however, are not going help the process.
"The White House press spokesman's claim that if PPA expired terrorists would be 'free to make phone calls without fear of being surveilled by U.S. intelligence agencies' is ludicrous and reckless. To suggest that we will stop listening to terrorist communications on February 1 is not true. It is fear mongering at its worst.
"Vice Chairman Bond and I worked to craft bipartisan legislation that would make necessary improvements to FISA. I urge the President to instruct his staff to refrain from politicizing this issue and work constructively to pass this bill."
Rockefeller noted that the February 1 expiration of the Protect America Act (PAA) does not end the authority to collect intelligence. In fact, all other collection activities, including collection under other parts of FISA, are unaffected by the expiration of the PAA. United States intelligence agencies have always had, and will continue to have, the ability to collect communications intelligence from a variety of other sources. The Protect America Act is only one source of that authority.
Moreover, the PAA actually allows intelligence collection to continue until the certifications and directives made by the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence expire. Thus, collection can continue until at least August, regardless of whether Congress passes an extension.
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