FISA Reform Failed: The Whole Point Of Section 702 Is To Spy On Americans

The whole point of Section 702 is to spy on Americans. Why would the intelligence community want to reform it?...

A group of 19 Republican lawmakers on Wednesday joined with Democrats to block a bill that would have reauthorized the federal government’s spying authority with a few minor tweaks. At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless surveillance of foreigners but is also routinely used to spy on American citizens.

As it stands now, the law, which is set to expire April 19, allows U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on foreign nationals based overseas, but it also lets the FBI comb through the massive amounts of data the intelligence community collects and gather information about American citizens. These are known as “backdoor searches,” and an unlikely coalition of conservative Republicans and left-wing Democrats want to change how these searches are conducted.

Specifically, they want to require that the FBI obtain a warrant before searching Section 702 data for information about Americans — a reasonable reform. The intelligence community, and the members of the House Intelligence Committee over whom they have influence, oppose this.

Why? The most straightforward answer is that the main purpose of the intelligence community’s surveillance programs isn’t to spy on terrorists or foreign adversaries overseas, it’s to spy on American citizens. So of course the intelligence community opposes FISA reforms that would make it harder to spy on Americans...

In an earlier era, this warrantless spying would have been understood as a clear violation of Americans’ constitutional rights (specifically our Fourth Amendment rights). But we’re in a new era now, and the intelligence agencies have no qualms about violating our rights without pretending it has anything to do with national security...

"Ukraine Aid" defense funding is a lie. It's "Seize Eurasia" offense funds. As long as "Seize Eurasia" is Blob policy, it will be trillions to Ukraine & doom to all who oppose.

"Ukraine Aid" defense funding is a lie. It's "Seize Eurasia" offense funds. As long as "Seize Eurasia" is Blob policy, it will be trillions to Ukraine & doom to all who oppose.

Trump was impeached over Ukraine military "aid" 3 yrs before 2022's war. This is what FISA is about https://t.co/Oj5HrYA1Ya pic.twitter.com/JySuUCNLEI

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) April 20, 2024

Down with Big Brother: Warrantless Surveillance Makes a Mockery of the Constitution, by John & Nisha Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute, 17 April 2024:

These 19 Republicans voted to block the spy powers bill, The Hill, 10 April 2024.

RINOS WIN – AMERICANS LOSE: FISA 702 Again Passes House by Vote of 259-128 – Here are The 117 RINOs Who Voted for Warrantless Spying on Americans. Gateway Pundit, 15 April 2024: