President George W. Bush stepped up his attack on House Democrats who support terrorism surveillance legislation that would deny immunity from lawsuits to telephone companies. The Democratic plan poses a threat to the safety of the U.S., the president said.
The Bush administration and House Democrats are deadlocked over whether to immunize the companies from privacy lawsuits for cooperating in the government's eavesdropping on suspected terrorists without court warrants.
The House plans to consider legislation today that lacks the immunity shield. Democratic leaders agreed to a Republican request to hold a secret session on the measure before the public debate. Meeting in private will permit ``a candid discussion about the urgent need to give our intelligence officials all the tools they need,'' Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement.
The Democratic House bill ``would undermine America's security,'' Bush said in a statement he read today on the White House lawn. ``Voting for this bill would make our country less safe. The House bill may be good for class-action trial lawyers, but it would be terrible for the U.S.''
Congress is considering a proposed revision of the 30-year- old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that sets procedures for court-approved electronic eavesdropping. A temporary surveillance law enacted last year expired on Feb. 16, and the administration argues the lapse is putting the nation at risk.
Protecting Phone Companies
Bush says shielding the phone companies from lawsuits would ensure their continued help in monitoring domestic and overseas conversations of suspected terrorists. He again threatened today to veto any legislation that lacks such protection for the companies.
``This bill is unwise,'' Bush said. ``The House leaders know that the Senate will not pass it. And even if the Senate did pass it, they know I will veto it.''
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Bush is trying ``to bully the Congress and mislead the American people.'' He said Bush's insistence on shielding the phone companies for taking part in ``his administration's illegal activity'' is blocking progress on the legislation.
The Senate, in a bipartisan 68-29 vote last month, approved an eavesdropping measure that bars damage claims against AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and other phone companies that allegedly helped conduct surveillance after the Sept. 11 attacks. The companies face some 40 suits seeking billions of dollars in damages for alleged privacy violations.
The House, voting 227-189 last November along mostly partisan lines, refused to provide the legal protection for the companies. (bloomberg)
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