Leahy, Sanders praise Judge's ruling

08/18/2006

By Darren Allen
Montpelier Times-Argus

MONTPELIER — Most of Vermont's congressional delegation — and the candidates seeking to join it — had mixed reactions Thursday to a Michigan judge's decision declaring President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program to be unconstitutional.

"This has become another unfortunate example of how White House misdirection, arrogance and mismanagement have needlessly complicated our goal of protecting the American people," stated a press release from U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermonter who is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and a frequent critic of the president's actions. "I have always believed that the Bush-Cheney warrantless domestic spying program violated our laws."

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor agreed Thursday when she ordered an immediate halt to the program, although she will allow the Justice Department to argue for a stay while it appeals the decision.

U.S. Rep. Bernard Sanders, an independent who is running to replace retiring Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., said he, too, was pleased with the judge's decision.

"Today's ruling that President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional reaffirms that no one, including the president, is above the law," Sanders said. "It is critical that our government does everything in its power to fight terrorism but we can and must do this without violating our constitutional rights."

An aide in Jeffords' office said in an e-mail message that both the senator and his press secretary were on vacation and that "we will not be issuing a statement on the decision."

Candidates for Congress also reacted to Thursday's decision.

State Sen. Peter Welch, a Windsor Democrat who is running for Sanders' seat, hailed the decision. "It's a good decision that reaffirms the rule of law and the notion of congressional oversight of the executive branch," he said. "If reinforces the need to have an independent Congress that will protect the rights of citizens while it protects our security."

His leading Republican opponent, Martha Rainville, did not say whether she supported the judge's ruling. Her spokesman, Brendan McKenna, said, "The government needs to do everything possible within the law to protect the safety and security of the American people. The appropriate procedures need to be put in place to make sure any actions the government takes are legal."

Richard Tarrant, the Republican candidate for Jeffords' seat, said in a statement, "We need to continue balancing civil liberties and protecting our citizens. However, Congressman Sanders has forgotten this balance and continues to call for cuts in the intelligence community who are our front line in preventing terrorist attacks."

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