Sen. John Sununu is making progress on moving forward with the Patriot Act compromise and is in talks with the White House expecting news early next week.
The Union Leader Reports:
SUNUNU AND THE PATRIOT ACT
Sen. John Sununu reports progress on a possible compromise between the White House and a bipartisan coalition of senators on disputed provisions of the USA Patriot Act.
The law, extended in December, is scheduled to expire a week from tomorrow, and Sununu said yesterday the White House “remains very engaged” in discussions.
Sununu said he met alone last week with senior White House and Justice Department staff, including White House counsel Harriet Miers. He said meetings continued this week with top Justice Department and White House staff, including top Bush adviser Karl Rove, who “is helping to coordinate the discussions.” This week’s meetings also included Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho.
As reported in the New Hampshire Sunday News, Sununu wants to provide additional review options and attorney-client privacy to individuals and businesses ordered by law enforcement authorities to give up private information.
“We’ll have a clearer picture by early next week on whether we can get this completed in a timely way,” said Sununu. “There may be a need for another short-term extension. But we can complete the work on or very close to the first week of February.”
