Pelosi in Opposition to FISA Extension: “What an Insult to Our Brave Intelligence Community.”

Washington, D.C. - In advance of the House GOP's vote to extend FISA Section 702 with no meaningful reforms, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the House Floor opposing the legislation under the current leadership structure of the Intelligence Community, arguing that Congress must uphold the standards established after September 11th to protect national security and maintain confidence in America's intelligence institutions.

In her remarks, Pelosi reflected on her decades of intelligence oversight experience and warned that appointments to positions of national security leadership must meet the bipartisan standards Congress created to ensure expertise, judgment and accountability in safeguarding the American people.

Watch Pelosi's Floor remarks here.(link is external)

Read Speaker Emerita Pelosi's remarks below:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise with a degree of sadness because I was present at the birth of this legislation.

For 30 years, I served either as a Member of the Intelligence Committee, Ranking Member or on the Gang of Eight. I bring extensive Intelligence experience to this discussion.

Following 9/11 with great care, we worked in bipartisan fashion to put together the legislation to advance what we are talking about here today: this FISA initiative.

In that legislation, we established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and set certain standards.

'The Director of National Intelligence shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The individual nominated shall have extensive national security experience.

He shall serve as the head of the Intelligence Community and act as principal advisor to the President on the National Security Council, Homeland Security-' and the rest.

Here we have a situation, and I have a list from the legislation of the criteria establishing him, and what do we have from the President?

Somebody who has no judgment on intelligence matters.

What an insult to our brave Intelligence Community who serve us so well to protect the American people.

So if you want us to vote for FISA-and you have Patel at FBI and Pulte as DNI-then: Pulte plus Patel equals no on this FISA legislation.

It can be done if there is an intention to do it right.

I yield back.