SocraticGadfly: House Dems look to cave on telco immunity

March 02, 2008

House Dems look to cave on telco immunity

That seems to be the word out of the mouth of Silvestre Reyes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Reyes, in a television interview broadcast Sunday, did not specifically say whether the House (FISA renewal) proposal would mirror the Senate's version. The Senate measure provides retroactive legal immunity to the companies that helped the government wiretap U.S. computer and phone lines after the Sept. 11 attacks without clearance from a secret court.

Reyes, D-Texas, said he was open to that possibility after receiving documents from the Bush administration and speaking to the companies about the industry's role in the government spy program.

“We are talking to the representatives from the communications companies because if we’re going to give them blanket immunity, we want to know and we want to understand what it is that we’re giving immunity for,” he said. “I have an open mind about that.”

Regarding a compromise deal, Reyes said: “We think we’re very close, probably within the next week we'll be able to hopefully bring it to a vote.”

Of course, after an immunity-laden version of FISA renewal is passed, neither you nor I nor plaintiffs against AT&T nor the ACLU will ever get a glimpse at the documents that seem to have sealed the deal for Reyes.

What is this now, past the 1,000 mark on reasons not to vote Democratic this fall?

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