WASHINGTON U.S. Sen. Mark Udall has seven weeks left in office, but the Colorado Democrat isn't prepared to go quietly especially when it comes to the twin issues of CIA torture and government snooping.
In his first interview since Election Day, Udall told The Denver Post that he would "keep all options on the table" including a rarely used right given to federal lawmakers to publicize a secret report about the harsh interrogation techniques used by CIA agents in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
He also vowed to make one final push to curb the National Security Agency and its power to gather information on ordinary Americans.
"Trying to run out the clock ... is not an option," Udall said Thursday of the long-hidden CIA report. "The truth will come out."
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For months, members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which includes Udall, have feuded with the Obama administration over the release of the committee's own review of CIA tactics after al-Qaeda's strikes on New York City and the Pentagon.
Some details that are probably included in the report already have come to light such as the near-drowning technique, known as waterboarding, used against terrorism suspects but the Senate and White House remain deadlocked on how much information should be redacted from an executive summary of the 6,000-plus-page report.
With negotiations still in limbo, now nearly two years after the committee finished its investigation, free-speech advocates have leaned on Udall to take matters into his own hands before leaving office.
And he's not saying no.
"Transparency and disclosure are critical to the work of the Senate intelligence committee and our democracy, so I'm going to keep all options on the table to ensure the truth comes out," Udall said.
That includes a little-used privilege of the U.S. Constitution called the "Speech or Debate Clause," which has been suggested by civil libertarians to shake loose the information.
"I mean, I'm going to keep all options on the table," said Udall when asked specifically about that method.
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The most famous example of its use came in the early 1970s when then-U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska wielded its power to force the Pentagon Papers into the congressional record, an effort that supplemented reporting by The New York Times on the secret Vietnam War documents.
Reached by phone, Gravel urged Udall to chart a similar course.
"I would hope that Sen. Udall would want to enjoy that legacy in history," he said. "He could do it without any risk for himself, and certainly (it would be) of great benefit to the American people."
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Asked about Udall's comments, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who heads the intelligence committee, said little, other than to note that she planned to "release the study in the coming weeks, once work concludes on declassification."
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Forcing the release of the CIA torture report isn't the only item left on Udall's to-do list. He also was optimistic about putting checks on the NSA through a bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled for a vote during Congress' post-election session.
"I would eagerly embrace that opportunity on the floor to reform the NSA's activities," Udall told The Post.
He has been a longtime critic of the means in which U.S. authorities conduct surveillance notably the mass collection of phone records and in early September warned of other potentially invasive methods, notably the use of "geo-location technology" and "travel invoices."
Udall previously has commended parts of the NSA reform bill, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., but also has warned it doesn't go far enough. Specifically, Udall wants more restrictions on the ability of the NSA and other agencies to probe electronic records without a warrant.
"That's been my mission: protect Americans' privacy," Udall said.
