House to go into rare closed session

The House will go into a rare closed session Thursday night to debate a controversial electronic surveillance measure.

It is the first closed session since 1983 and only the fifth in congressional history.

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) plans to offer a motion on the issue as soon as the House finishes work on the budget.

During the session, the chamber will discuss an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that has been gridlocked for months over the issue of granting immunity to telecom companies who aided the government in the wake of the Sept. 11.

Privately, House aides were speculating that the closed session will give House Democratic leaders a chance to whip support for the measure, which is not ensured of passage. A large bloc of moderate "blue dog" Democrats have previously expressed their desire for the House to take up the Senate bill.

While House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) expressed confidence earlier in the week that the bill would pass, however, a defection by the "Blue Dogs" could threaten the passage of the bill, which would be a major setback for House Democratic leaders who have worked furiously for weeks to craft a compromise.

Following the closed session, the House will debate the FISA bill, which does not include immunity. The Senate has already passed their own version with immunity — a bill President Bush has urged the House to sign.

On Thursday morning, Bush issued a statement saying he would veto the bill if it ever reached its desk.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) agreed to the session Thursday afternoon.

"Mr. Blunt stated that members in the Minority believe they have information relevant to the debate on FISA that cannot be publicly discussed," Hoyer said. "The majority agreed to Mr. Blunt’s request so that the Members may hear this information in a secret session that will proceed for one hour."

A closed session would require at least three hours for security personnel to sweep the chamber for listening devices.

"All of our members need to hear and have a chance to think about this information," said Blunt

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said he was skeptical the closed session would change any minds on the issue and may end up costing the Republicans support.

"As someone who has chaired classified hearings and reviewed classified materials on this subject, I believe the more information members receive about this administration's actions in the area of warrantless surveillance, the more likely they are to reject the administration's scare tactics and threats."