This letter, signed by a who’s who of Bush-era military politicos was sent to Congress before the Amash/Conyers vote.
Signatories include Alberto Gonzalez, John Negroponte, Stephen Hadley, Porter Goss and Michael Chertoff.
The Amash/Conyers vote (the amendment to defund the telephone metadata spying program was defeated 217-205) was a bizarre vote by even DC standards.
Several prominent Democrats who heeded the request of Negroponte, Hadley, Gonzalez et al to vote no on the amendment — were on the record voting in 2011 NOT to reauthorize the Patriot Act.
Democratic house members who voted against extending the expiring PATRIOT Act provision reauthorization bill in 2011 but also against the Amash amendment (a much less ambitious amendment/proposition) in 2013 (i.e., contradictory votes):
Pelosi – CA
Hinojosa – TX
Higgins – NY
Engel – NY
Schakowsky – IL
Wasserman Schultz – FL
Thompson – CA
Andrews – NJ
Israel – NY
Quigley – IL
Green – TX
Guitierrez – IL
Hanabusa – HI
Larsen – WA
Jackson Lee – TX
E.B. Johnson – TX
Kaptur – OH
The 17 who voted against the PATRIOT Act reauthorization in 2011 and against the Amash amendment provided the margin of victory for the White House and the supporters of NSA’s current surveillance programs.