Prepared Statement of U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales
to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on NSA Domestic Surveillance Scandal

Washington, D.C.

Monday, February 6, 2006

Good morning Chairman Specter, Senator Leahy, and members of the Committee. I’m pleased to have this opportunity to speak with you.

Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain deadly dangerous. Osama bin Laden recently warned America that – quote – “operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes.” Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, added just days ago that the American people are – and again I quote – “destined for a future colored by blood, the smoke of explosions, and the shadows of terror.”

None of us can afford to shrug off warnings like this or forget that we remain a nation at war.

Nor can we forget that this is a war against a radical and unconventional enemy. Al Qaeda has no boundaries, no government, no standing army. Yet they are capable of wreaking death and destruction on our shores. And they have sought to fight us not just with bombs and guns. Our enemies are trained in the most sophisticated communications, counter-intelligence, and counter-surveillance techniques – and their tactics are constantly changing. They use video feed and worldwide television networks to communicate with their forces; e-mail, the Internet, and cell phone calls to direct their operations; and even our own training academies to learn how to fly aircraft as suicide-driven missiles.

To fight this unconventional war while remaining open and vibrantly engaged with the world, we must search out the terrorists abroad and pinpoint their cells here at home. To succeed, we must deploy not just soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. We must also depend on intelligence analysts, surveillance experts, and the nimble use of our technological strengths.

Before 9-11, terrorists were clustered throughout the United States preparing their assault. We know from the 9-11 Commission Report that they communicated with their superiors abroad using e-mail, the Internet, and telephones. General Hayden, the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, testified last week before the Senate that the terrorist surveillance program instituted after 9-11 has helped us detect and prevent terror plots in the United States and abroad. Its continuation is vital to the national defense.

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