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January 30, 2014

Holder: Bulk Collection Constitutional, But Will Be Reformed 
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Also testifying in Wednesday's Senate hearing, Attorney General Eric
Holder said he believes the bulk collection of phone records by the
National Security Agency is constitutional, but will still be reformed
on the orders of President Obama.

Eric Holder: "I'd say that 15 judges in the FISA court (Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court), two judges — one in California,
one in New York — have looked at this question and made the
determination that the 215 program is, in fact, constitutional. One
judge in Washington, D.C., has decided it is not. But I think that
really only deals with one-half of the question. I believe they are
correct that it is constitutional. It is an appropriate use, in a
constitutional sense, of the government's power. But the question is,
and as — what the president has posed to us, just because we can
do something, should we do it?"

 

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