[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 91 (Thursday, July 13, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1407-E1408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORTING INTELLIGENCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROGRAMS TO TRACK 
                   TERRORISTS AND TERRORIST FINANCES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, last week when we voted on 
H. Res. 895, a

[[Page E1408]]

resolution condemning the disclosure of classified information, and 
more specifically, the information about our government's monitoring of 
international financial transactions, I voted in opposition to the 
measure, and I would like to take this opportunity to explain my 
position.
  I join my colleague from Massachusetts, Mr. Frank, and others in 
supporting an alternative resolution, H. Res. 900, which also condemns 
the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, but does so in a 
way that is less partisan and more ingenuous. H. Res. 895 contains a 
number of statements that are passed off as fact but whose veracity is 
dubious and not substantiated through congressional inquiry.
  I regret that the majority saw fit to bring a resolution to the floor 
which deprived Democrats from providing any input into the framing of 
the measure. I do think that it was possible to produce a bin behind 
which both parties could unite, if the majority were interested in 
reaching a consensus. Obviously, it was not interested in forging a 
consensus statement, so we debated a political document instead of 
substantive initiative.
  H. Res. 895, as written, states facts, which frankly, are either in 
substantial dispute or subject to question. For example, did the news 
media inappropriately and illegally disclose information regarding the 
SWIFT financial monitoring program, or was this information in the 
public domain? There are credible people ``in the know'' who claim the 
information was publicly available if anyone cared to conduct a little 
research.
  According to one former State Department diplomat and U.N. monitor, 
the information on the SWIFT financial transaction monitoring program 
was incorporated in a report to the U.N. Security Council in 2002 and 
is available on the U.N. website. The SWIFT program has been in the 
public domain for quite some time.
  Additionally, the resolution contains a clause that the appropriate 
committees in Congress were notified of the program. As we heard during 
the debate on the bill, that is another fact in dispute by Democrats 
who serve on the Select Committee on Intelligence.
  I, therefore, voted against H. Res. 895 and announce my support for 
the alternative introduced by Mr. Frank, which the majority has seen 
fit to deny us the opportunity to consider.

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