Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Senate Judiciary Committee Issuing Subpoenas Relating to the NSA Warrantless Wiretapping Program June 27, 2007 Washington DC – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold issued the following statement after the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas for legal analysis and other documents concerning the NSA warrantless wiretapping program that began shortly after 9/11 and was first revealed to the public in December 2005. “It has been more than a year and a half since it was first disclosed that the President authorized an illegal warrantless wiretapping program. After a year and a half of stonewalling by the Administration, the Judiciary Committee is finally taking appropriate action by issuing subpoenas for information that will tell us how and why high-ranking officials authorized this illegal program. The bipartisan support for issuing these subpoenas demonstrates that both Democrats and Republicans are fed up with the misleading statements from the Attorney General and the Administration about this illegal program. “Though most members of the Committee have been kept in the dark about the program, the Administration has asked us to overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It would be wrong for this committee to even consider legislation making wholesale changes to the FISA statute without access to information about how the executive branch and the judicial branch interpret that law. These subpoenas will help make sure that Congress finally starts getting the answers it deserves.”

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