Conyers: Republicans Must Meet High Bar to Call for Secret Session

March 13, 2008 -- (Washington, DC) - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers released the following statement in response to news that the House of Representatives is expected to move into closed session tonight to review information regarding the administration’s warrantless surveillance program:

"The more my colleagues know, the less they believe this administration's rhetoric. As someone who has chaired classified hearings and reviewed classified materials on this subject, I believe the more information members receive about this administration's actions in the area of warrantless surveillance, the more likely they are to reject the administration's scare tactics and threats. My colleagues who joined me in the hearings and reviewed the administration's documents have walked away with an inescapable conclusion: the administration has not made the case for unprecedented spying powers and blanket retroactive immunity for phone companies.

"Whether this is a worthwhile exercise or mere grandstanding depends on whether Republicans have groundbreaking new information that would affect the legislative process. There must be a very high bar to urge the House into a secret session for the first time in 25 years. I eagerly await their presentation to see if it clears this threshold. As someone who has seen and heard an enormous amount of information already, I have my doubts."

Source: House Judiciary Committee