Blumenthal Statement On PCLOB Report Declaring NSA Telephone Metadata Program Illegal

(Hartford, CT) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued a statement in response to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board’s (PCLOB) report, which declared the National Security Agency’s (NSA) telephone metadata program illegal and called on Congress to create a Special Advocate empowered to protect civil liberties. The board includes two lawyers who served  in the U.S. Justice Department under former President George W. Bush.

 “Once again, civil liberties experts from inside the Executive Branch have confirmed what so many in Congress and the courts have been saying: we need fundamental reform. I am particularly pleased that the bipartisan Board unanimously endorsed my proposal for a Special Advocate with the power to appeal FISA Court opinions. The Board’s plan – like my own – would give an independent advocate for civil liberties the ability to ensure that the FISA courts hear both sides of the argument on any important legal issue they face. The Board’s thoughtful and densely reasoned analysis should once again urge Congress towards strong, effective, and rapid action.”