Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today after President Bush signed the FISA Amendments Act into law.

“With one stroke of his pen, the President has ensured that the truth behind his unprecedented domestic spying regime will never see the light of day. But the fight must go on. I will continue to stand up for the rule of law and the civil liberties of all Americans at every opportunity, and will strongly support efforts to challenge the constitutionality of this decision in the courts.  I can only hope that the courts will be able to correct the mistake the Congress and President have made.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) made the following statement today after the Senate voted to pass the FISA Amendments Act:

“Today, the United States Senate faced a very fundamental question that has been asked for generations: Does America stand for the rule of law, or the rule of men?  But by passing FISA legislation that grants retroactive immunity to the telecom companies that allegedly participated in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program, we gave the wrong answer.   

As the Senate prepares for a final vote on the FISA Amendments Act today, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) took to the floor again to implore his colleagues to reject the bill, which would grant retroactive immunity to the telecommunication companies that participated in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.  Dodd has fought alongside his colleagues Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to prevent any bill that provides retroactive immunity from passing the Senate.  The Senate today considered Dodd’s amendment to strike the retroactive immunity provision from the FISA bill.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) went to the Senate floor tonight to speak in opposition to the FISA legislation currently being considered by the Senate.  Dodd, a staunch opponent of retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies, has offered an amendment that would strip the retroactive immunity provision from the bill. 

Letter to Congressional Leaders Working on FISA Update Asks to Include Provisions Protecting Americans’ Privacy, Not Grant Retroactive Immunity

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) are urging Congressional Democratic leaders working to finalize the FISA Amendments Act to include provisions to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans and not to grant retroactive immunity to companies that allegedly cooperated in the president’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program.  Feingold and Dodd, who led the fight in the Senate against the immunity provision and other provisions containing overbroad, unchecked powers for the executive branch, wrote the following letter amidst reports that negotiations on FISA legislation may be nearing completion in the House.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Rules Committee, made the following statement in opposition to the adoption of universal photo ID voting requirements currently under debate in the Rules Committee.  Dodd was the coauthor of the landmark Help America Vote Act (HAVA). 

“The notion of widespread fraud by individual voters misrepresenting who they are at polling places is a popular myth, which has been thoroughly debunked.  For years, various parties – including the US Congress, the esteemed Carter-Baker Commission, the Department of Justice, and comprehensive academic studies have been unable to document widespread in-person voter fraud.  Adoption of universal photo ID requirements in response to this myth would effectively suppress the voting rights of eligible voters across the country.

Watch clip

After speaking at length on the Senate floor and keeping the Senate in session late into the evening last night, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) took to the Senate floor one last time before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act was passed by the Senate.  Calling today a “dark” day in the Senate chamber, Dodd expressed his profound opposition to the provisions in the legislation that grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have participated in the Administration's warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.  Along with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Dodd offered an amendment to strip the egregious retroactive immunity provisions from FISA.  Unfortunately, the amendment failed by a vote of 31 to 67 and the Senate voted 68 – 29 to pass the legislation.

Watch clip

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) last night once again demonstrated his commitment to fighting against certain provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act that fly in the face of the Constitution and the rule of law by speaking at length on the Senate floor, keeping the Senate in session late into the night. In a final plea after a months-long battle, Dodd urged his colleagues to oppose granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have participated in the Administration's warrantless wiretapping of American citizens.  Should his amendment fail, Dodd pressed his colleagues not to end debate on the bill, effectively preventing it from a vote and final passage.  Last week, Dodd offered an amendment that he co-sponsored with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to strip the egregious retroactive immunity provisions from FISA.  This amendment, expected to be voted on today, would ensure that courts have the ability to fulfill their constitutional duty to determine whether or not these companies should be held accountable for their actions.

Watch clip

Mr. President: I rise to discuss my amendment to strike Title II of the FISA Amendments Act—the title which would provide telecom corporations retroactive immunity for their warrantless and possibly illegal spying on their customers.

Much more than a few companies and a few lawsuits are at stake, Mr. President. Equal justice is at stake—justice that does not place some corporations outside the rule of law.

Watch clip

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), an ardent and vocal opponent of granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have participated in the Administration's warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, today offered an amendment that he co-sponsored with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to strip the egregious retroactive immunity provisions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act.  This amendment would ensure that courts have the ability to fulfill their constitutional duty to determine whether or not these companies should be held accountable for their actions.