Lawless criticizes Langevin's Patriot Act vote

• U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin's challenger in the 2nd district says Langevin is "misleading" Rhode Islanders if he claims he is protecting civil liberties by voting for the act.

PROVIDENCE - Democratic challenger Jennifer Lawless, who is running for U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin's 2nd Congressional District seat, criticized Langevin's vote on Thursday to approve the addition of several civil-liberty protections to the Patriot Act.

In a news release, Lawless, a Brown University professor, called Langevin's logic flawed.

"If Jim Langevin is saying that he was advocating for civil liberties by voting for President Bush's Patriot Act, Jim Langevin is misleading Rhode Islanders," Lawless said. "This vote is exactly why I am running for Congress."

Lawless said the measure passed by just two votes; U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat, voted against the bill, as did the majority of Democrats.

"We need a leader in Washington who is going to fight for what Rhode Islanders believe in, not cave in to the politics of fear and paranoia," Lawless said.

Langevin's camp defended his vote, saying the provisions added important protections for Americans, such as allowing librarians to inform people if the federal government is monitoring what they are reading, and eliminating the requirement that the FBI be given the names of lawyers who intend to challenge administrative subpoenas, which are equivalent to search warrants.

In addition, Langevin's spokeswoman, Joy Fox, said the congressman voted against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in December, because it did not include these changes.

"Last night, I had the opportunity to eliminate some of its most egregious provisions and to further enhance civil-liberties protections," Langevin said in a statement Friday. Senators Jack Reed, a Democrat, and Lincoln Chafee, a Republican, voted in favor of a similar amendment in the Senate. "I voted to improve the civil-liberties language in the act and am proud to join my Rhode Island Senate colleagues in voting for this important bipartisan amendment," Langevin said.

Fox said Langevin was concerned the reauthorization of the Patriot Act would go to President Bush for his signature without the changes.

"These amendments do not address all of the congressman's concerns," Fox said Friday. "But the congressman supported them because he thinks they are a step in the right direction."

This article appeared on March 12, 2006, in the Providence Journal.