Rand Paul, Eric Holder and the attorney general's Northwestern U. Law School speech

WASHINGTON–Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster this week over drone use in the U.S.–and his pressing Attorney General Eric Holder about the prospects of a domestic strike (none, it turns out) brings up the subject of how we navigate the Constitution in our era of terrorist threats. Holder spoke about this in a speech last Monday in Chicago at Northwestern University Law School. Read his prepared remarks HERE.

Excerpt from Holder speech: “The Justice Department plays a key role in conducting oversight to ensure that the intelligence community’s activities remain in compliance with the law, and, together with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, in authorizing surveillance to investigate suspected terrorists. We must – and will continue to – use the intelligence-gathering capabilities that Congress has provided to collect information that can save and protect American lives. At the same time, these tools must be subject to appropriate checks and balances – including oversight by Congress and the courts, as well as within the Executive Branch – to protect the privacy and civil rights of innocent individuals. This Administration is committed to making sure that our surveillance programs appropriately reflect all of these interests”