Wednesday, 27 January 2010 17:00

Lungren Backs Bill to Monitor Miranda Rights for Terrorists

slide3-lungren_backs_bill_to_monitor_miranda_rights_for_terrorists.pngWashington, D.C. – House Republicans on Tuesday introduced legislation requiring the Department of Justice to consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense before giving terrorists Miranda rights. The “Ensuring the Collection of Critical Intelligence Act of 2010” requires the Justice Department to consult with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense before charging a foreign terrorist as a criminal, according to a release by Congressman Dan Lungren. Lungren, representative of California District 3, including Amador County, said: “Apprehension of a foreign national who is trying to kill Americans, presents us with the urgent need to obtain information for the protection of our citizens rather than convincing terrorists they have the right to remain silent.” Lungren said: “These are individuals whose sole purpose is to destroy the fabric of America and the freedoms we enjoy. Giving terrorists the same constitutional rights as American citizens – when they themselves follow no legal code of conduct – is unacceptable and will only weaken our ability to protect the public.” Lungren Communications Director Brian Kaveney in a release said following a Christmas Day bombing plot, Nigerian terrorist Abdulmutallab admitted to FBI agents that he was an al Qaeda operative who had received explosives training from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Despite confessing to being a foreign terrorist affiliated with al Qaeda, Abdulmutallab was informed of his Miranda rights and charged as a civilian criminal, Kaveney said. He said neither the FBI nor Department of Justice consulted with the intelligence community before filing the complaint. According to news reports, Abdulmutallab claimed to be one of many terrorists training with al Qaeda to attack Americans. But now that he has been given access to an attorney, Abdulmutallab has stopped cooperating with investigators. Lungren’s release said: “In other words, our ability to gather critical intelligence about pending attacks against Americans has been lost.” A recent Investor’s Business Daily poll found that 61 percent of those polled oppose giving Miranda rights to captured terrorists. Lungern, a House Judiciary Committee member, introduced the bill Tuesday joined by 17 Republicans. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.