WASHINGTON D.C. -- Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Venice), Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement today in response to proposals being floated to exempt the President's NSA Program from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act:
"Treatment should follow the diagnosis. It is premature to consider legislative proposals until the Congressional Intelligence Committees are 'fully and currently' briefed on all operational details of the President's NSA program, as required by the National Security Act of 1947.
"The Intelligence Committees should then hold legislative hearings to determine whether the program can comply with present law. I believe it can, and it must. If we determine that it cannot, Congress has only two options: (1) Change FISA, including adding IT and other resources to the Department of Justice to speed warrant applications; or (2) Change the program. To be Constitutional, any framework must meet the Fourth Amendment requirement of probable cause.
"To keep this critical foreign collection capability, Congress must put it on a strong legal footing."
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