(Host) Senator Patrick Leahy says he’ll vote against a compromise wiretapping bill unless Congress adopts a key change to the legislation.
Leahy says the compromise doesn’t hold the Bush Administration accountable for its effort to "illegally wiretap the American people" several years ago.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) The upcoming vote in the Senate is expected to end months of bitter fighting between Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress over this issue.
Backers of the compromise argue it will give the government the surveillance tools it needs to uncover terrorist threats while protecting basic civil liberties.
But opponents, including all three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation say the compromise lets the Bush Administration off the hook for illegal actions it took in the months following the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001.
At that time, the Bush Administration requested that a number of major telephone companies release extensive data to the Justice Department – critics of the plan were outraged to later learn that the Administration demanded the information without a warrant.
Some of the companies complied – some didn’t. Under the compromise, the companies that did comply would be immune from citizen lawsuits stemming from their action if a federal judge determines that the companies were reacting to "a valid government request."
The Vermont Public Service Board has launched an ongoing review of such eavesdropping in Vermont and the compromise could effectively end this investigation.
Leahy says the compromise makes it possible for the White House to duck all responsibility for "this illegal plan":
(Leahy) "The way the bill is written and the restrictions there are on the courts they’re not going to be able to look behind just a blanket letter that told the telephone companies to go ahead and do what the White House asked them to what I want is who was it in the White House who sat down and said we know this is breaking the law we know we don’t have the rights to do this we know we can’t spy on Americans this way but we’re going to do it anyway and that’s what I want to find out."
Leahy says his amendment is also meant to influence the future:
(Leahy) "I think for future Administrations they have to know that if whether it’s the president or the vice president or the president’s counsel tell people and go ahead and break the law sooner or later we’re going to find out about that."
Although he says his amendment faces an uphill battle in the Senate this week, Leahy says he’s hoping to attract some bi partisan support for the plan.
For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.