Dems see beginnings of deal on surveillance bill

from The Hill
By J. Taylor Rushing
Posted: 02/15/08

Signs of a congressional compromise over foreign-intelligence surveillance began to emerge Friday even as Democrats and Republicans continued to exchange sharp words over the effect of this weekend’s lapse of an interim wiretapping bill.

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said that meetings Friday brought “the beginnings of a resolution” over the key issue of whether legislation updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) should shield the phone companies that took part in the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program. Several major carriers face about 40 lawsuits for turning over consumers’ information to the administration.

Conyers and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) met Friday with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) to discuss how to reconcile two very different FISA bills. The Democratic-written House version, passed last fall, does not grant immunity to the carriers and grants more power to the FISA court, which has traditionally overseen foreign intelligence surveillance. The Senate passed a bill earlier this week, with strong GOP support, that includes immunity. The White House has threatened to veto any bill that does not shield carriers from lawsuits.

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