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Floor Speech

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Mr. COTTON. national security and an insult to basic fairness and the principle of equality before the law. It is the biggest giveaway to the liberal press in American history.

The so-called PRESS Act would turn reporters into a protected class, free to hold, share, and publish highly classified and dangerous information that no other American is allowed to possess. The passage of this bill would turn the U.S. Senate into an active accomplice of deep state leakers, traitors, and criminals along with the America- hating and fame-hungry journalists who help them out. This legislation would make it all but impossible to ever compel a reporter to reveal their sources or compel them to return classified information in their possession.

Reporters would become the only class of people legally permitted to possess classified information in an unsecured and unmonitored environment. It gives reporters rights that no other American possesses. No Senator even has these protections. In fact, if the Senator from Oregon was given unsecured classified information and refused to turn it over, he could be censored, prosecuted, and possibly put in jail. And we wouldn't want that to happen. We would miss him dearly.

Even former Presidents don't have the rights that this legislation provides to liberal journalists. Just remember, the FBI raided President Trump's house on the mere accusation that he held unsecured classified information. And unlike President Trump, President Biden actually committed this crime and only escaped prosecution because the prosecutor concluded he was too addled to be convicted. Thanks to this bill, reporters at CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times would have more rights and privileges than former Presidents and Vice Presidents.

This bill would also embolden every leaker and would-be traitor in the Federal Government within arm's reach of classified or damaging information. Leakers could reveal anything from the placement of American troops in foreign countries to the location of nuclear weapons, with only the thinnest and hardest to prove exceptions. They could release embarrassing or incriminating information from FBI background checks. They could also release information provided by allied nations, endangering America's alliances around the world. If this bill became law, every leaker would sleep well at night knowing their accomplices in the media would never have to turn them in.

The leakers could also release, say, phone records of discussions between the President of the United States and foreign leaders, and this bill would protect any reporter who released or possessed the contents of those calls. Maybe it should be called the ``Alexander Vindman Protection Act.''

Not surprisingly, President Trump recently wrote:

REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!

And, for the benefit of those who missed it, he wrote it in all capital letters with an exclamation point at the end.

The bill's advocates often say too much stuff is classified. I agree. On the intelligence committee, I am often asked: Why is this classified? But some information ought to be classified, and the solution to overclassification is to classify less stuff, not to enable liberal deep staters to leak to liberal journalists.

Another argument I hear is government employees often violate the law and abuse our citizens--I agree, especially when Democrats are in office--but whistleblowers have plenty of legal and effective avenues to raise those concerns. If their superiors refuse to listen to them, they can contact their Departments' inspectors general or ombudsmen. They can also contact congressional oversight committees or Federal law enforcement. What they shouldn't do--what the law, in fact, forbids them from doing--is run off to the liberal media.

Even with its present protections, which I think are excessive, the liberal media has a long record of endangering our troops and our interests around the world. The liberal media doesn't deserve more privileges, protections, and perks. Releasing classified information is a serious crime, and it should be punished seriously.

Contrary to what members of the press may think, a press badge doesn't make you better than the rest of America or put you above the law.

For several years, the media has conducted itself in a disgraceful manner and destroyed its reputation with the American people. Yet some in Congress--maybe the only institution less popular than the press-- now want to give it more privileges? I don't think so. My message is simple: No one is entitled to the privileges provided in this bill, certainly not the press.

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Mr. COTTON. Madam President, I appreciate the remarks of the Senator from Oregon.

The Founding Fathers designed the Senate to be the sober second thought to the House of Representatives or even transient and fleeting public opinion. The Senator from Oregon cited the unanimous vote in the House. Sometimes, that is an indication of widespread support for a sound and wise policy, but on occasion, it is an indication that a rash, impetuous, hasty, impulsive decision by the House deserves a sober second thought in the U.S. Senate. And not for the first time, I am pleased to provide the sober second thought on this and other issues.

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