House Democrats stand firm: No telecom immunity

Posted by Carla Axtman on March 12, 2008

The House of Representatives is taking a stand against giving telecom companies immunity for possible illegal activities in cooperation with the Bush Administration:

Locked in a standoff with the White House, House Democrats on Tuesday maintained their refusal to shield from civil lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without a secret court's permission.

But they offered the companies an olive branch: the chance to use classified government documents to defend themselves in court.

House Democratic leaders unveiled a bill that they hoped would bridge the gap between the electronic surveillance bill passed by the Senate last month and a rival version the House approved last fall.

The House bill also would create a bipartisan commission, modeled after the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the Bush administration's secret wiretapping program.

Jeff Merkley has been pushing for our representatives in Washington vote no on telecom immunity for months. At the Huffington Post, Jeff spoke out against the Bush Administration's attempt to protect this activity:

Congress must stand up and protect the rights of American citizens. They must restore the balance of power by returning oversight to the judiciary. The courts, not the President, should decide whether these actions were legal.

It's encouraging to see our Democratic leaders in the House standing up for us. Unfortunately, Gordon Smith has consistently voted with the Bush Administration (including for telecom immunity), contrary to the values of most Oregonians.