The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WE MUST PASS THE SENATE VERSION OF THE FISA BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H876 on Feb. 13, 2008.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WE MUST PASS THE SENATE VERSION OF THE FISA BILL
(Mr. McCAUL of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. McCAUL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we will be engaging today in an important debate, perhaps the most important debate certainly since I've been in the United States Congress, and that is how to protect the American people, how can we capture intelligence overseas to better protect the United States.
I bring to this debate a unique experience. I worked in the Justice Department under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on FISA's national security wiretaps. This statute was never designed to prohibit us from capturing overseas intelligence from foreign targets. If Osama bin Laden is calling in to the United States, we, as Americans, have a right to know what he is saying.
This is, again, one of the most important debates, and the Senate passed yesterday a version of this which I urge the House to pass today, and also one that protects companies, patriotic companies, who help out the United States Government when the United States Government asks and gives the call to duty to help the United States in capturing this overseas intelligence.
The time to act is now, and extension in terms of intelligence is unacceptable. We cannot allow our intelligence to go dark in many parts of the world. We must pass the Senate version of the FISA bill.
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