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Curated research library of TV news clips regarding the NSA, its oversight and privacy issues, 2009-2014

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Primary curation & research: Robin Chin, Internet Archive TV News Researcher; using Internet Archive TV News service.

Speakers

Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator (D- Vermont), Judiciary Committee Chairman
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Leahy: The U.S.A. Freedom Act has got such strong support. It goes across groups as diverse as the National Rifle Association and the Center for American Progress. This broad consensus saw overwhelming support in the House. They passed it by a vote of 338-88. Some in this country say that no branch of government could have a vote that strong to say the sun rises in the east. Certainly there's been no major piece of legislation in years. We've seen a vote of that, 338-88. But now a minority of the senate has twice blocked the U.S.A. Freedom act from even getting a debate on the senate floor.
Rand Paul
Senator (R-Kentucky), Member of Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Paul: We are here this evening because this is an important debate. This is an important debate. This is a debate over the bill of rights. This is a debate over the fourth amendment. This is a debate over your right to be left alone. Justice Brandeis said that the right to be left alone is the most cherished of rights. The right to be left alone is the most prized to civilized men. Let us be clear, we are here tonight because the president continues to conduct an illegal program. The president has been rebuked by the court, the president has been told in no -- in explicit terms, the president has been told that the program he is conducting is illegal.
Rand Paul
Senator (R-Kentucky), Member of Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Paul: This is what we fought the revolution over. are we going to so blithely give up our freedom are we going to so blithely go along and just say take it? Well I'm not going to take it anymore. I don't think the American people are going to take it anymore. 80% of those under 40 say we've gone too far. That this whole collection of all of our records all the time is too much. The court has said how can records be relevant to an investigation that hasn't started? The court has said that even under these lower standards even under these standards of saying it would be relevant, that all of the stuff they're collecting is precisely irrelevant. Now, people say, well, they're not looking at it. They're not listening to it. It's the tip of the iceberg what we're talking about here.
Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator (D- New Mexico),
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Heinrich: What was written by Judge Leone of the District Court for the District of Columbia when he ruled in the claimant vs. Obama case. This is a little bit long, but think it's important that this be part of the official record of this debate. Judge Leone writes,
Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator (D- New Mexico),
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Heinrich: He writes that in the first example the F.B.I. learned of a terrorist plot that was -- quote --
Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator (D- New Mexico),
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Heinrich: And in the third the metadata analysis -- quote --
Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator (D- New Mexico),
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Heinrich: Finally, Judge Leone writes that given the limited record before me, at this point in the litigation most notably the utter lack of evidence that a terrorist attack has ever been prevented because of searching the N.S.A. data base and that it was faster than other investigative tactics, I have serious doubts about the efficacy of the metadata collection program as a means of conducting time-sensitive investigations in cases involving imminent threats of terrorism.
Rand Paul
Senator (R-Kentucky), Member of Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs
CSPAN2 05/31/2015
Paul: And realize that they were dishonest about the program until we caught them. They kept saying over and over again we're not doing this, we're not collecting your records, and they were. The head of the intelligence agency lied to the American people and he still works here. We should be upset, we should be marching in the streets and saying he's got to go. We can't allow this. We can't allow the rule of law to be so trod upon that we live in an arbitrary governmental world where they collect anything they want, any time they want. This is the tip of the iceberg. They're collecting records through Executive Order. They're collecting records through Section 702.
Donald Trump
CEO, The Trump Organization
FOXNEWSW 06/01/2015
Kilmeade: The number one story in America right now is about the Patriot Act. We now have gone dark for 48 hours because Senator Rand Paul has gotten his way. He has delayed things to the point where no decision can be made. How do you feel about that? Trump: Well, he’s got his views. And they’re not really the views of too many it just seems. Look, you look at the mad men and the mad people out there in the world, I think probably today were willing to sacrifice certain things for security. I don't know if the security is going to be better or not better. But on the chance and the hope that it is, that we know something about what we're doing, I think security has to preside. It has to you know be preeminent. So I'm looking at security. I think, you know if anybody wants to listen to my phone calls, it's fine. They're going to be very boring. Going to be a very boring boring conversation.
Donald Trump
CEO, The Trump Organization
FOXNEWSW 06/01/2015
Trump: Well, I don't trust the government either. And I certainly don’t trust this government and the decisions they make. I really don't trust the decision making of our government. But never the less, if it's a security situation and if they're saying you know we need this -- there are checks and balances. There are certain checks and balances. You just can't do exactly what some people are saying you can. But I think we have to err on the side of security. It's certainly not something I like. It’s certainly not what you like. But you know when you have all these maniacs all over the world, I think we probably have to go that little bit of an extra step. We don't love it but we have probably not much of a choice. I just hope the government knows what they're doing a lot better than what they did with the Obamacare website and with all the other things. You know it's such gross incompetence in our government that you really wonder what's going on. You know in the old days you had a certain confidence in government. You don't have that confidence anymore. You see where we get Bergdahl and they get five of their leaders that are right now back on the battlefield.
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