FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON -- The American
Civil Liberties Union today urged the House Judiciary Committee to adopt several
resolutions that would formally request any and all documents relating to the
illegal National Security Agency domestic spying program authorized by President
Bush.
“The need for a
comprehensive investigation into the NSA’s domestic surveillance is essential to
find out exactly which laws were broken,” said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of
the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.
“Lawmakers must not forget their oaths and disregard the administration’s
infringement of average Americans’ constitutional rights. The White House has repeatedly admitted
to the use of warrantless wiretaps and has yet to be held accountable. Checks and balances on presidential
power are essential to protect the rights of Americans.”
The House Judiciary
Committee met today to consider House Resolutions 643 and 644. These “resolutions of inquiry” request
that the president and attorney general submit all documents “relating to the
authorization of the electronic surveillance of citizens of the United States
without court approved warrants.”
The resolutions direct both President Bush and Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales to submit the documents within fourteen days of the resolutions’
passage.
The president and the
attorney general have consistently rejected the ACLU’s position that the
warrantless domestic spying program goes beyond the boundaries of the law. Yet numerous legal experts, the
non-partisan Congressional Research Service, and indeed, members of Congress
have repeatedly disputed the White House’s position that the illegal spying
program is consistent with the Constitution.
These proposed resolutions,
if adopted, would compel President Bush and Attorney General Gonzales to produce
documents that will give Congress and the American people more insight into
whether the facts square with the administration’s rhetoric about domestic
spying. They will also help fill in
many of the blanks that Attorney General Gonzales left empty when he testified
before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 6.
“The attorney general’s
answers to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s clear-cut questions were vague and
noncommittal at best,” said Lisa Graves, ACLU Senior Counsel for Legislative
Strategy. “The administration has
stonewalled Congress and the people about how this evasion of the law affects
the rights of innocent Americans and wastes precious resources on inquiries that
don’t pass muster. These
resolutions of inquiry are a much-needed step to rein in the rapidly expanding
executive power. Americans deserve
a government that is bound by the rule of law. We enthusiastically support Congress’
initiative in getting to the bottom of this illegal program.”
For more on the ACLU’s concerns with the warrantless NSA spying
program, go to:
http://www.aclu.org/nsaspying
