Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote an op-ed in Sunday’s News Journal criticizing Congress for “failing to be an effective check” of the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Echoing calls he made on the Senate floor on the FISA Amendments Act in December 2012 and the PATRIOT Act in May 2011, Chris called for more transparency, public scrutiny, and Congressional oversight of domestic surveillance programs.
Congress has a responsibility to ensure these surveillance programs are run in a manner that is transparent and accountable. The intelligence community should provide the public with specifics on the full breadth of information that has been captured under the FISA Amendments Act, and what it is doing with that information. The administration should also establish a framework for declassifying FISA court opinions about warrantless wiretapping activities performed under this law. I voted for amendments that would have accomplished both.
Delawareans deserve a full and informed debate about our nation’s intelligence-gathering procedures and their intrusion on our privacy rights, as well as a Congress that insists on keeping our nation safe and respects our most cherished privacy protections.
Click here to read the full op-ed on the News Journal’s website.