How do you intend to notify citizens who have been reported for fishy" speech? Cornyn asks.
WASHINGTONIn a letter to President Obama U.S. Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas expressed serious concern about the White Houses new program requesting Americans to forward email chains and other communications opposing the Presidents health care policies. Cornyn is seeking assurances that the program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and Americas tradition of free speech and public discourse.
Sen. Cornyns letter also inquires about the collection of names email addresses IP addresses and private speech of U.S. citizens that will be reported which raises the specter of a data collection program.
I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed fishy or otherwise inimical to the White Houses political interests" Sen. Cornyn wrote.
You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program. As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights" Cornyn said.
-- The full text of Sen. Cornyns letter is below --
Dear President Obama
I write to express my concern about a new White House program to monitor American citizens speech opposing your health care policies and to seek your assurances that this program is being carried out in a manner consistent with the First Amendment and Americas tradition of free speech and public discourse.
Yesterday in an official White House release entitled Facts are Stubborn Things" the White House Director of New Media Macon Phillips asserted that there was a lot of disinformation out there" and encouraged citizens to report fishy" speech opposing your health care policies to the White House. Phillips specifically targeted private unpublished even casual speech writing that rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation." Phillips wrote If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy send it to
flag@whitehouse.gov."
I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their fellow citizens to the White House for pure political speech that is deemed fishy" or otherwise inimical to the White Houses political interests.
By requesting that citizens send fishy" emails to the White House it is inevitable that the names email addresses IP addresses and private speech of U.S. citizens will be reported to the White House.
You should not be surprised that these actions taken by your White House staff raise the specter of a data collection program. As Congress debates health care reform and other critical policy matters citizen engagement must not be chilled by fear of government monitoring the exercise of free speech rights.
I can only imagine the level of justifiable outrage had your predecessor asked Americans to forward emails critical of his policies to the White House. I suspect that you would have been leading the charge in condemning such a programand I would have been at your side denouncing such heavy-handed government action.
So I urge you to cease this program immediately. At the very least I request that you detail to Congress and the public the protocols that your White House is following to purge the names email addresses IP addresses and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in fishy" speech. And I respectfully request an answer to the following:
- How do you intend to use the names email addresses IP addresses and identities of citizens who are reported to have engaged in fishy" speech?
- How do you intend to notify citizens who have been reported for fishy" speech?
- What action do you intend to take against citizens who have been reported for engaging in fishy" speech?
- Do your own past statements qualify as disinformation"? For example is it disinformation" to note that in 2003 you said: I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care plan"?
I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
Sen. Cornyn serves on the Finance Judiciary Agriculture and Budget Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committees Immigration Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.
