“Today’s ruling validates what many of us in Congress have been saying since we first learned of the existence of the Bush administration’s warrantless spying program: it is unconstitutional and defies the core principles upon which this country was founded. All members of Congress are in favor of the administration using every legal tool available to track and capture any terrorist who may be seeking to harm the United States. However, the Bush administration has thus far failed to realize that there are more than a sufficient number of ways currently available to track and monitor terrorists while maintaining full compliance with federal law, in particular the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act. If the administration felt that current surveillance law didn’t go far enough, the president simply could have come to Congress and asked for additional authority. Instead, he went above the law and against the Constitution by creating this warrantless spying program.
“This administration has willfully shunned the Constitution and the law before so I fully expect that the president, the attorney general, and others will disregard this decision as the appeal process moves forward. It is my sincere hope that the appeals process reaffirms Judge Taylor’s ruling today and that this country can put an end to this unnecessary and illegal Big Brother program.
“My colleagues and I will continue to press forward with our efforts for the Department of Justice to conduct a probe of exactly what transpired as this NSA warrantless surveillance program evolved and how it has been carried out.”
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