Bush is seeking immunity for telecommunications companies
that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program
after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and are
now facing lawsuits.
WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W.
Bush, locked in a battle with Congress over eavesdropping
legislation, said on Thursday the House of Representatives
version of the bill was "unwise" and he would veto it.
Bush is seeking immunity for telecommunications companies
that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program
after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and are
now facing lawsuits.
The House legislation, scheduled for a vote later on
Thursday, would allow phone companies to present their defense
behind closed doors in federal court, with the judge given
access to confidential government documents about eavesdropping
begun after the Sept. 11 attacks.
About 40 civil lawsuits have been filed accusing AT&T Inc.,
Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. of
violating Americans' privacy rights in the surveillance
program.
"This litigation would undermine the private sector's
willingness to cooperate with the intelligence community,
cooperation that is absolutely essential to protecting our
country from harm," Bush said.
The president supports a Senate bill passed last month that
would give phone companies immunity and renew a law that
expanded the power of U.S. authorities to track terrorism
suspects without a court order. That law expired on Feb. 16.
Bush urged the House to pass that version and send it to
him to sign into law.
"Unfortunately, instead of holding a vote on the good
bipartisan bill that passed the United States Senate, they
introduced a partisan bill that would undermine America's
security," Bush said.
He called the House bill "unwise" and said it could lead to
public disclosure of highly classified information that could
help terrorists.
Bush said the litigation against the phone companies was
"unfair" because they had been assured by the U.S. government
that their cooperation was "legal and necessary" to fighting
terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Companies that may have helped us save lives should be
thanked for their patriotic service, not subjected to billion
dollar lawsuits that will make them less willing to help in the
future," Bush said.
(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by David Alexander and
John O'Callaghan)
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