Washington, DC – Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on allegations made by two former military linguists on ABC news:

 

“These are extremely disturbing allegations.  The Senate Intelligence Committee is examining this now and we have requested all relevant information from the Bush Administration.  Any time there is an allegation regarding abuse of the privacy and civil liberties of Americans it is a very serious matter.  The Congress has enacted tough laws – including the FISA reform bill passed this year - and there are strict procedures in place governing intelligence surveillance when it involves U.S. persons.  The Committee will take whatever action is necessary to ensure those rules are followed and any violations are addressed.”

 

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