Cindy Sheehan, noted peace activist and Congressional candidate for California’s 8th District, says that her opponent Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has supported Bush by funding the war and backing the FISA Modernization Act (0:31).
Attorney General Michael Mukasey speaking at the American Enterprise Institute [AEI] today called on Congress to act on detainees at Guantanamo Bay possibly trying to usurp the court system. Under the rules of habeas corpus, the 270 detainees at Guantanamo Bay have a constitutional right to challenge their detentions. The overriding issue facing the judicial system at the moment is when they are allowed to pursue legal action under habeas corpus. Mukasey called on Congress to draft legislation that would “act to resolve these difficult questions that have been left unanswered.” (more…)
The Senate passed the update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that grants immunity to telecom companies from lawsuits with a 69-28 vote.
Before the vote, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said, in his opening statement, that 40 lawsuits are being litigated. Retroactive immunity should be given to phone companies, Specter said. There is a way to protect the phone companies without giving up the details of their programs, Specter said. (more…)
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) says that the federal government can contribute most to local security by gathering and providing intelligence, adding that he hopes the Senate will complete work on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA.) (0:40)
House Republican leaders Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Rep. Adam Putnum (R-Fla.) briefed reporters this afternoon at their weekly pen and pad briefing. Paramount to their discussion was the high cost of fuel which has dominated discussion on Capital Hill for the past few weeks. (more…)
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) speaks to reporters on possible amendments to the FISA Bill currently before the Senate. Dodd supports measures to strike the FISA retroactive immunity and is planning to add his own amendment to the bill to do just that. (1:08)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says that the court decides whether immunity is granted, not the legislation. Hoyer also says that the U.S. knows that there are “people out there who want to harm us,” so the government needs to intercept their conversations in order to protect America. (1:11)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says that the U.S. government has oversight from its courts and this oversight is particularly sensitive when private information may be intercepted. Hoyer says that this is why the FISA court was created and that the U.S. needs to ensure the protection of oversight in the future. (1:00)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D- Md.) and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R- Mo.) held a press conference discussing the successful bipartisan passage of a new FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act).
Leader Hoyer emphasized that the new FISA will protect Americans while protecting their civil liberties as well. He said that under the new FISA, immunity for telephone companies alleged for “wiretapping” under the previous bill would be decided by courts, and that they would have to now have to “be sure to dot their ‘i’s’ and cross their ‘t’s” when listening in on phone conversations.
Congressman Blunt said that the bill will force America’s enemies to “think” before deciding to spy on our government, adding that the bill will protect America both domestically and abroad. Blunt stressed that the new bill is “not a form of domestic wiretapping,” and will be used to target “foreigners in foreign countries.”
Briefer: Dana Perino
White House press secretary Dana Perino briefed the press on the president’s radio address which will focus on the administration’s priorities for Congress. She specifically mentioned the war supplemental funding, the GI bill, the FISA legislation, the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and the approval of Steve Preston to be the new secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The president will be giving the commencement address at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Perino said that the speech will focus on the culture of responsibility and the importance of volunteering and serving in the military.
The main topic for questions was the book of former White House press secretary Scott McClellen which alleges “a culture of deception” in Washington and in the White House in particular during the run up to the Iraq war. Perino said that the president has not read the book and she has not discussed it with him. She said that the White House will continue to push back against the premise of the book that the White House communications department mislead the public as the administration approached the Iraq war.
In response to a question about the allegations that a Commerce Department laptop was hacked into during a trip to China, Perino said that the White House does not comment on on going investigations but that it has taken all measures to protect against cyber attacks, including international trips where White House staff are prohibited from brining Blackberry phones.
