Patriot Act backer says NSA spying went too far

Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming ranking member Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) attends a news conference on "energy, climate-gate and President Obama's trip to Copenhagen" with members of the House Republican American Energy Solutions Group at the U.S. Captiol December 8, 2009 in Washington, DC. What some climate change critics are calling "climate-gate," emails and other documents between scientists were hacked or stolen from a British climate-change research center.

For a look at how lawmakers are changing their views on the limits of surveillance, we're joined by Todd Zwillich, Washington correspondent for PRI's "The Takeaway."

In 2001, shortly after September 11th, Congress came together for a near-unanimous vote to pass the U.S. Patriot Act. That law gave authorities broad surveillance powers to fight terrorism.

But as more details emerge about what that surveillance actually involves, well, some lawmakers are having a change of heart.

Like Representative James Sensenbrenner from Wisconsin. He's considered one of the architects of the Patriot Act but recently said he was, quote "appalled" that the law had been used to spy on ordinary Americans. Sensenbrenner introduced a new law yesterday to rein those powers in.

For a look at how lawmakers are changing their views on the limits of surveillance, we're joined by Todd Zwillich, Washington correspondent for PRI's "The Takeaway."