Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) released the following statement on President Trump’s last-minute attack on hard-fought FISA compromise:

“When we were only hours away from passing legislation to protect our nation and its citizens, President Trump, in his usual fashion, torpedoed the deal with a single tweet, scuttling months of hard work and negotiations. FISA is not perfect. We are always striving to improve its privacy and civil liberties provisions to protect Americans. I have seen during my service on the House Intelligence Committee that it is a vital tool, allowing us to track and disrupt deadly schemes on a regular basis. 

“But, President Trump’s opposition to the deal has nothing to do with privacy rights or national security; it is the result of his petty feud with the intelligence community because he feels personally slighted by former FBI Director James Comey and other dedicated public servants for investigating his campaign’s substantial ties to Russia.  Last week, the FBI uncovered ties between the gunman in last December’s shooting at a naval airbase in Pensacola, Florida and Al Qaeda.  A leader who put country before self would see this as further evidence why we should renew, improve, and strengthen the laws that protect us from such plots.  Not this President.

“It will once again fall to the adults in the room – represented as usual by the Democrats in the House of Representatives – to navigate around the Presidential turbulence and find a solution that will benefit the American people. It takes more time to build thoughtful and effective legislation than to tear it down, but we take our responsibilities seriously, and will get it done because the safety of our country must always come first.”

If you have questions or comments, please contact Patrick Malone at Patrick.malone@mail.house.gov or (202)225-5541.

 

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