A letter from Tom Coburn: Dear Mr. Bevan, Thank you for your message regarding the Obama administration scandals that came to light in May, and regarding the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs. I apologize for my delayed response. I have been greatly disturbed by the revelations about the Obama Administration’s actions, including the gross negligence in protecting our ambassador in Libya, the subsequent cover-up and deliberate deception of the public in the aftermath of the Benghazi attacks, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) seizure of journalists’ phone records, the systematic targeting of conservative groups and critics of the president by the IRS and other agencies, the IRS’s leaking of these groups’ confidential information to their political opponents, and other troubling activities. In addition, many questions regarding Operation Fast and Furious remain unanswered. These activities are absolutely unacceptable in the U.S. system of government. President Obama and his top appointees have claimed ignorance and attempted to deflect responsibility to lower-ranking officials for most of these issues. This response displays a disappointing lack of leadership. Whether or not President Obama has a direct connection to these abuses, as head of the executive branch he is absolutely responsible for all of them. I am not aware at this time of any sound evidence that directly implicates President Obama in these cases. However, these abuses come on top of repeated instances in which the administration has ignored the rule of law, such as the president’s decision to allow his appointees to the National Labor Relations Board to continue operating after a court ruled their recess appointments unconstitutional. It is vital Congress learn the full truth about each of these scandals. Numerous congressional committees have already begun investigating them in detail. As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as well as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I will closely follow all relevant investigations into these issues and use all resources available to me to help find the truth. Since the new revelations, many have called for the impeachment of President Obama. Impeachment proceedings must begin in the House of Representatives, so as a member of the Senate I would not personally be able to initiate this process. I also want to make clear that impeachment must never be used as a political weapon. Any discussions on this matter must be based on facts and evidence. With regard to NSA surveillance programs, I am extremely wary of any program that would erode our rights under the Constitution. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have provided oversight on these programs for a number of years, and I am committed to preventing any abuse or unconstitutional overreach by these programs. Although mistakes and violations have occurred, as has been reported, these violations were not allowed to continue—they were corrected. The programs will continue to be closely scrutinized for adherence to the law and the Constitution. These programs are vital to our national security and have disrupted multiple potential terrorist plots, including a 2009 al-Qaeda plot to target New York City, dozens of other terrorist plots against our country, and terrorist plots in more than 20 countries around the world. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, my top priority is to protect and defend the Constitution and the rights of American citizens. I will continue to oppose all legislation and government programs that threaten Americans’ freedom and liberty. Moreover, I will continue to ensure that the necessary tools we implement to defend our security are not used in a way that undermines our well-established privacy rights under the Constitution. It is important to remember that the War on Terror is asymmetric: terrorists take advantage of Islam and hold an ideology that glorifies suicide and rationalizes the massacres of civilians, while our two strongest advantages are our technologies and our rule of law. This is why it is so essential that we not only continue to utilize technology, but that we also never compromise our laws as a matter of national security. Thank you again for writing. Best wishes. Sincerely, Tom A. Coburn, M.D. United States Senator TC: cak
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 21:03:12 +0000
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