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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: Government Accountability Project) |
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Groups Urge Telecom Immunity Rejection Pending Review of GAP Client's Affidavit
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WASHINGTON, DC - March 12 - Today, 34 good government watchdog groups sent a letter to all members of Congress urging them not to allow retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies in the warrant-less wiretapping/national security bill, headed for debate tomorrow, pending review of allegations in an affidavit by Government Accountability Project (GAP) client Babak Pasdar, which were detailed in a recent “Dear Colleagues” letter. GAP shared Pasdar’s affidavit with members of Congress last week, including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mi), Telecommunications subcommittee Chair Ed Markey (D-Ma), and Oversight and Investigations subcommittee chair Bart Stupak (D-Mi). Those three lawmakers then sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to all House members last Thursday, which summarized the fundamental threat to Americans’ right to privacy detailed in Pasdar’s affidavit. Just yesterday, the House Democratic leadership announced a new proposal to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), without granting blanket retroactive immunity to the major telecoms as the Bush administration has requested. In their letter, the groups summarize the concerns laid out in Pasdar’s affidavit:
According to Pasdar’s affidavit, this private information could be accessed without restraint through a line called the “Quantico Circuit.” Quantico, Virginia is the company town at the hub of FBI, Marine and intelligence operations. The affidavit also details Pasdar’s concern that the telecom had structured its system so it would be impossible to know what had been transmitted through the Circuit, which also had no security against any third parties who discovered it. Congress cannot responsibly act until basic questions about our freedom are answered. The groups posed several questions in their letter: “Who was at the other end of the Quantico Circuit, and what information have they been obtaining? Does such access comport with long-standing federal law? Is the circuit legal? Is its apparent lack of security legal or wise? How long has it been in operation? Who paid for construction and operation of the Quantico Circuit? Was the telecom paid by its recipients for using the circuit? What were the terms?” The letter pleads with all lawmakers: “You must get answers to these questions to make an informed decision about what the Senate’s broad retroactive telecom immunity provision would sweep in. Congress should schedule hearings and exercise any other investigative authority necessary to determine the truth. But it needs to obtain those answers before voting on any bill that would give amnesty to companies.” You can view a copy of the letter sent to Congress here: http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/BPLetter.pdf You can view a copy of the affidavit shared with congressional members last week here: http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/BPAffidavit1.pdf You can view a copy of the “Dear Colleagues” letter here: http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/Dear%20Colleagues%20Letter.pdf You can view a copy of GAP’s talking points about Pasdar’s affidavit here: http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2008/BPTalkingPoints.pdf Government Accountability Project The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. ### |
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