On Friday, Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona attempted to protect the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment, by amending FISA to expressly prohibit illegal, unconstitutional, warrantless searches of Americans.
Shockingly, the House of Representatives, including my opponent, voted to defeat the Biggs Amendment in a 212-212 tie vote, and then went on to approve a two-year extension of FISA.
Any member of Congress who voted against the Biggs Amendment could have changed the outcome and cast a vote to protect our Constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment.
If I had been in Congress, my single vote would have saved the Fourth Amendment. I would have voted for the Biggs Amendment, broken the tie and the Constitution would have won!
The vote on the Biggs Amendment and the FISA extension were two of the most consequential votes cast in Congress this year.
Years ago, as a Member of Congress representing some of the same constituents, I voted against the Patriot Act because I wanted to protect the people from the exact type of abuses of power by the government which are occurring under Section 702 of FISA, and because I saw it as an unconstitutional intrusion on the privacy rights of Americans.
Most unfortunately, Congressman Max Miller of the 7th District of Ohio voted against the Biggs Amendment, thereby permitting the government to continue to spy on Americans, without a warrant. He then went on to vote for the two-year FISA extension. Mr. Miller has yet to explain his vote.
Elect me to Congress OH-7 and I’ll always protect America’s freedoms and civil liberties.
With your support in November, I'm looking forward to returning to Congress to continue the fight to fully restore all of our Constitutional rights. The abuse of FISA is not the only Constitutional issue at stake.
Please do everything you can to support my campaign for election to OH-7. My vote in Congress will make all the difference. Help spread the word. America needs us!
Yours faithfully!
Dennis Kucinich
Candidate for U.S. House, District 7
Member, U.S. House of Representatives
(1997 – 2013)
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, stands to protect Americans from government abuse of power.
Although Members of Congress, the Administration and the Supreme Court take an oath to uphold the Constitution, U.S. government agency officials in the FBI, CIA and NSA, acting under the color of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act, routinely search and retain information on Americans' phone calls, emails and texts, without a required warrant.
Warrantless electronic surveillance, by law, is supposed to be limited to foreigners. However, despite agency promises of reform, the government flagrantly abuses the Fourth Amendment and does, in fact, use Section 702 of FISA to spy on Americans, without obtaining a court-ordered warrant.