[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[June 10, 2005]
[Pages 965-969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the PATRIOT Act in McLean, Virginia
June 10, 2005

    Thanks for the warm welcome. It is really exciting to come and spend 
time in this fine facility and to meet the men and women who work at the 
National Counterterrorism Center. I just met with some who spend long 
hours preparing threat assessments, and it was my honor to tell them how 
much I appreciate their hard work and appreciate the daily briefing I 
get every single morning.
    I want to thank you all for taking on such demanding assignments and 
important assignments. My message to the folks here is, thanks for being 
on the frontline and protecting America during the war on terror. You 
know, it's a different kind of war. It's a war that seems like there's 
maybe no action taking place, that maybe the enemy is not active. You 
know, I was concerned after September the 11th that the tendency would 
be to forget the nature of the people with whom you deal on a daily 
basis. But I understand that there is an enemy that still lurks, and you 
know it as well.

    And so on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank you for 
working hard to protect America. I want to thank you for your 
dedication. I want to thank you for your service and sacrifice.

    The NCTC plays a key part in the Office of the Director of National 
Intelligence. It's a crucial part of making sure that we can say to the 
American people, we're collecting intelligence and information, and 
we're sharing intelligence and information across jurisdictional lines 
to better protect the people and do our most solemn duty, which is to 
protect America.

    And I want to thank Ambassador and Director John 
Negroponte's leadership on this issue. I 
want to thank him for his willingness to step forward to serve. And I

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appreciate his understanding of how important the NCTC is.
    I also want to thank John Brennan, who 
has been the Acting Director of the NCTC. I can remember first meeting 
John--it probably seems like a decade ago for him--[laughter]--I think 
it was actually a couple of years ago, when he first described what this 
facility would be like. He laid out the vision for what would take place 
here, and I want to thank John for his leadership, his dedication to the 
effort. It must bring John great comfort, as well as those who have 
worked with John, to see how this facility has evolved over time. This 
is a magnificent blend of technology and human talent, all working 
together to break down walls and barriers that had existed prior to 
September the 11th, to better protect the people.
    And today I'm pleased to announce the fact that upon John 
Negroponte's recommendation, that we will 
nominate Vice Admiral John Redd to be the 
Director of the NCTC. He's a man of enormous experience. He has served 
our country with distinction. He'll be a good boss. He'll be a person 
that will be able to carry on the tradition of John Brennan.
    I appreciate the Attorney General 
traveling with me today. We're not only talking about intelligence 
sharing; we're telling about--we're talking about how to act upon that 
intelligence today. Attorney General Al Gonzales is doing a fine job, as 
is the Director of the FBI, Bob Mueller.
    I also appreciate Porter Goss, who is 
running the CIA, for joining us today. I went out to the CIA the other 
day, and I reminded the good folks who work there that CIA stands for 
Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA is a vital part of making sure that 
this country is safe and sound and a vital part of making sure that my 
administration and myself get the type of information necessary to make 
the decisions that we need to make to make the world a more peaceful 
place.
    I appreciate Fran Townsend, who 
is my Homeland Security Adviser. Fran is constantly briefing me on 
interagency issues and keeping me up to speed about the work you're 
doing.
    Today we're also joined by Federal prosecutors and law enforcement 
officials who have helped bring terrorists to justice with the help of 
the PATRIOT Act. I'll talk about them in a minute. Thank you all for 
coming.
    The purpose of the NCTC is to make sure our Government has the 
information we need. It's an information-gathering organization. It is 
all aimed--all the work here is aimed at keeping America safe. A lot of 
Americans have never heard of the NCTC. One of the reasons I came by 
was, hopefully it will help draw attention to the good work you do here, 
so that the people of this country can be comforted in knowing that 24 
hours a day there's some really fine people spending a lot of time doing 
whatever they can to protect our fellow citizens.
    September the 11th showed that protecting America requires that we 
remove walls between agencies. Here at the NCTC, men and women from 
different agencies, of different backgrounds, work side by side to share 
information, to analyze information, to integrate information. See, 
prior to the attack, it was--we kind of all went about our own merry 
way. There was some interagency dialog but not a lot. And we learned a 
lesson about having walls between our agencies, and we're tearing those 
walls down. And here's a classic example of Government working--
functioning better because of people talking to each other.
    I appreciate the fact that here you pool your expertise and your 
computer systems, all aimed at shining the spotlight on enemies who 
think they can hide in the shadows of the world. I appreciate the clear 
picture that you present. See, by working together, you're able to bring 
information to a central spot, and then present a clear picture to 
decisionmakers.

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    I also appreciate the fact that you're helping to ensure that 
Federal, State, and local law enforcement have the information they need 
to do their jobs. Thanks to your efforts, we're confronting the 
terrorists every day. See, the strategy is, we'll defeat them before 
they attack us; we'll face them overseas before we have to face them 
here at home. And the best way to make sure we do so is with the best 
possible intelligence.
    One of the most important tools to combat terror is the PATRIOT Act. 
Congress passed the PATRIOT Act with overwhelming bipartisan majorities. 
Over the past 3\1/2\ years, law enforcement and intelligence officers 
have proved that the PATRIOT Act works. It's a good piece of 
legislation. The PATRIOT Act has made a difference for those on the 
frontline of taking the information you have gathered and using it to 
protect the American people.
    At the end of this year, 16 key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are 
set to expire. In other words, the act that has worked, the act that has 
delivered good results or given people the tools to deliver results, is 
now set to expire. That doesn't make any sense to me, that if something 
is working, why should it expire? We need to renew the PATRIOT Act. We 
need to renew the PATRIOT Act because it has strengthened our national 
security. And here are four ways it has strengthened our national 
security.
    First, it authorizes law enforcement and intelligence to share vital 
information. Can you believe our system didn't allow parts of the FBI to 
share information? For example, if the intelligence group didn't--had a 
piece of information, they couldn't share it with the enforcement 
people, the law enforcement people. That doesn't make any sense. And so 
the PATRIOT Act enabled us to tear down walls.
    Secondly, the PATRIOT Act allows law enforcement to use the same 
tools against terrorists that they already use against criminals like 
drug dealers and mob bosses. It seems to make sense to me. I know it 
makes sense for the American people that if it's okay to use a certain 
tool to track a drug lord, we ought to be able to use that same tool to 
track a terrorist. And that's what the PATRIOT Act provided our law 
enforcement with, the ability to react consistently.
    Thirdly, the PATRIOT Act adopts the law to meet high-tech threats 
like computer espionage and cyberterrorism. It was a smart thing to put 
in the PATRIOT Act new provisions, provisions of law that said, ``Wait a 
minute, the enemy can use the Internet; why shouldn't we be able to 
counteract that activities--that activity by the enemy?''
    And finally, the PATRIOT Act protects the privacy and civil 
liberties of every American. That's what the American people have got to 
understand. The PATRIOT Act conforms to our Constitution, that as we 
fight this war on terror, we'll honor our Constitution. As we fight the 
war on terror, we'll protect the civil liberties of our citizens.
    Let me give you some examples of how Federal prosecutors and law 
enforcement agents have used the PATRIOT Act to get results. Mike 
Battle, the former U.S. Attorney for the 
Western District of New York, is with us. Mike helped prosecute the 
Lackawanna Six terror cell. See, there was a terror cell existing in the 
United States of America. And Mike and law enforcement officials there, 
in the summer of 2001, started investigating the Lackawanna Six. But 
they had to set up two separate investigations, a criminal investigation 
for drug crimes and a separate intelligence investigation for terror 
activity. And agents from the two investigations did not discuss their 
findings with each other.
    Then Congress passed the PATRIOT Act, and the two sides started 
sharing information. See, prior to the PATRIOT Act, parts of the same 
FBI office couldn't discuss a case with each other. And as a result of 
information sharing, the agents discovered that the suspects had 
attended an Al

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Qaida training camp in Afghanistan. The prosecutor used the information 
to build a convincing case, and today, all six of the Lackawanna folks 
are in Federal prison. In other words, the PATRIOT Act worked. We've got 
hard-working people in the field, and so we gave the people tools--
simple tools--that said, ``Here, this will enable you to better do your 
job.'' You can't ask people on the frontline of the war on terror to 
protect the American people and then not give them the tools necessary 
to do so.
    Carol Lam is with us. She's the U.S. 
Attorney from the Southern District of California. The information-
sharing provisions in the PATRIOT Act helped Carol and her team connect 
the dots in an Al Qaida drugs-for-weapons plot. They put together such a 
strong case that two defendants admitted their plans to sell drugs for 
Stinger missiles and then sell those missiles to the Taliban. They're 
now in prison, thanks to Carol's good work and thanks to the ability for 
prosecutors and law enforcement to use the tools of the PATRIOT Act to 
better protect the American people.
    Rob Spencer is the U.S.--Assistant 
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. He worked with Paul 
McNulty and used information obtained 
through the PATRIOT Act to lock up 10 men from the Virginia Jihad 
network. Some of those terrorists trained at camps in Pakistan and hoped 
to attack American troops in Afghanistan. Information from the 
investigation has also helped lead to the prosecutions of terror 
suspects in Australia and Great Britain.
    I mean, not only are we sharing information here at home; we're 
sharing information with our allies, with our coalition partners. See, 
terrorists are willing to strike at anybody who loves freedom, and our 
job is to protect free societies--the freest of all societies here at 
home and the free societies amongst our coalition partners. And the 
PATRIOT Act has helped do just that.
    Kelly Moore is the Assistant U.S. 
Attorney of the Eastern District of New York. Kelly used information-
sharing provisions in the PATRIOT Act to build a case against a 
terrorist bankroller who had boasted about personally handing $20 
million to Usama bin Laden. They also busted 
another money raiser who planned to fund Al Qaida and Hamas. They were 
extradited to Germany, and they were convicted of the charges in March 
of this year.
    This is another example of the use of the PATRIOT Act to protect our 
country. I mean, listen, we got people who want to support these killers 
with their money. And part of securing the country is to cut off the 
flow of money, is to chase the money. By chasing the money, we can find 
facilitators. So these good folks use the PATRIOT Act to help find the 
money, and by finding the money, we helped remove a threat to the United 
States of America.
    John Kavanaugh, FBI Special Agent in 
Florida--John used the PATRIOT Act to help prosecutors pursue a case 
against three alleged terror supporters for funding murders and 
kidnappings abroad. Two of them are now in Federal custody, and the 
other is serving time overseas for terrorist activity.
    Robert Schumaker, FBI Supervisory 
Special Agent from Illinois--Robert led the investigation that helped 
close down a phony charity in Illinois that was channeling money to Al 
Qaida. Robert's efforts, combined with the information-sharing 
authorities in the PATRIOT Act, allowed prosecutors to build a case 
against a director of that sham 
organization.
    We're not only finding people and bringing them to justice; we're 
shutting down their sources for money. We're taking away their 
lifeblood, which is money. Listen, we're a free society, and people come 
and take advantage of our freedom. And so what we've got to do is use 
information and intelligence to deny them the capacity to funnel money, 
in this case to organizations that want to do harm to the United States 
and our friends and allies.

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    I want you to know that the information sharing as a result of the 
PATRIOT Act allowed the 
prosecutors in this case to build a case against the director, and he's now in prison. We're patient here in 
America. We're slowly but surely dismantling an organization that wants 
to do us harm. It doesn't matter how long it takes; we will stay on the 
offense. We spend a lot of time here in America protecting our borders 
and ports and airports, but the best way to secure the country is to 
stay on the offense, is to go find them before they can hurt us. And 
that's exactly what we're doing.
    And the PATRIOT Act has helped us accomplish that objective. The 
PATRIOT Act has helped save American lives, and it's protected American 
liberty. For the sake of our national security, the United States 
Congress needs to renew all the provisions of the PATRIOT Act, and this 
time, Congress needs to make those provisions permanent.
    I want to thank you for letting me come by. I appreciate the hard 
work you do. May God bless you all and your families, and may God 
continue to bless our country. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:15 a.m. at the National Counterterrorism 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Paul McNulty, U.S. District 
Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Usama bin Laden, 
leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization.