Feinstein says she'll support Defense bill

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has opposed including mandatory military custody for terror suspects in the Defense spending bill, said she would support the final legislation even if her amendments aren’t adopted.

“Yes, I’ll vote for the bill,” Feinstein told reporters after her first amendment was rejected 45-55.

The White House has threatened to veto the Defense authorization bill over the military detention provisions, saying they would tie the hands of federal law enforcement’s counterterrorism efforts. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and other Senate Democrats have sought to change the detention provisions, but their efforts this week have been unsuccessful.

Feinstein’s defeated amendment would have changed the legislation so that military custody would only apply to terror suspects captured abroad, not within the U.S.

The bill now is headed toward a final vote after a slew of amendments are voted on, including one more from Feinstein.

That amendment would bar military detention for U.S. citizens, which has sparked some of the most heated debate on the Defense bill this week.

The detention provisions have pitted Feinstein against another Democratic committee chairman, Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who has joined with Armed Services Republicans to oppose changing the terror detainee language.

Before Thanksgiving, Feinstein said she was undecided how she would vote on the whole bill because of the detainee provisions. The bill is considered must-pass legislation and has passed consistently for five decades.

---