Patriot Act author: Feinstein's bill ‘a joke’

Rep James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI) doesn’t mince his words. He says the House and Senate Intelligence committees have become “cheerleaders” for the National Security Agency.

“Instead of putting the brakes on overreaches, they’ve been stepping on the gas,” he said of the committees, which are led by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Rep Sensenbrenner -- who has offered legislation to rein in the NSA -- called rival legislation “a joke.” He said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper should be prosecuted for “lying” to Congress on the nation’s surveillance programs. The 18-term lawmaker claims Congress fell down on the job of overseeing the NSA. He said the failure in oversight occurred after Congress reauthorized the Patriot Act in 2006, just as he was stepping down as Judiciary Committee chairman.