White House Officials Call for Renewal of Anti-Terrorism Law

Tuesday, May 4, 2004

By Chloe Albanesius

National Journal's Technology Daily Writer

"It's good to question government. It's incumbent upon government to explain how we're using our power."

Government Executive
Bush administration officials on Tuesday pushed for renewal of the 2001 anti-terrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act and criticized the "misinformation" that has proliferated regarding its provisions.

The Patriot Act applies "old tools to a new threat," Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security undersecretary for border and transportation security, said at a panel discussion sponsored by the Heritage Foundation. Before its enactment, "cultural walls and legal impediments" often stymied government and law enforcement officials, he said.

The statute applies to many things that are "over and above what's heard in the debate now," Hutchinson said, citing background checks of drivers who transport hazardous materials and the creation of an electronic system to track international students studying in the United States. The law allows many things but has safeguards critical to protecting civil liberties, said, calling it "an important tool that should not be that controversial."

There is an "outright misrepresentation" of how the law works, Deputy Attorney General James Comey said. The details often are challenging and burdensome for people to master, but "we cannot cram on the Patriot Act," he said. "It's smart, essential."

(More: GovExec.com)

2003 © National Journal's Technology Daily.

Dan