Category: FISA

LIVE NOW: NTD News Today (May 31): Assistant Secretary of State Calls FISA Abuses ‘Disturbing’; DeSantis Campaign Analysis

With presidential candidate Ron DeSantis campaigning in Iowa, we hear reactions from voters and some analysis on how DeSantis can overcome former president Donald Trump’s sizable polling lead. The FBI is facing questions again about its use of the FISA surveillance program on American citizens. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence Brett Holmgren said on May…


FBI Again Promises to Stop Unjustly Searching NSA Data on Americans

After a recently unsealed court opinion censuring the FBI for impermissibly searching sprawling NSA databases for information on Americans, the bureau has again vowed to fix itself. The FBI has for years promised to address the issue, but the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), which oversees the use of the intelligence databases, has repeatedly found…


Bipartisan Lawmakers Express Outrage Over FBI Misuse of Surveillance Tool to Spy on Americans

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on May 19 expressed alarm after an unsealed court order revealed the FBI misused a controversial surveillance tool to collect intelligence on U.S. citizens, including individuals suspected of involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and George Floyd protests. The details of the inappropriately collected information were outlined by…


Over 10,000 FBI Agents Can Access Data From Secretive Surveillance Program: Inspectors General

Lawmakers were told by U.S. inspectors general that upward of 10,000 federal employees could have access to data revealed by a secretive government surveillance program that has been racked by controversy over its alleged abuses. At an April 27 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, lawmakers heard from a panel of three witnesses associated with the U.S….


Garland Says FBI Needs Spying Powers to ‘Fight the Chinese’

Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the FBI’s usage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), saying that the surveillance apparatus is critical to “fight the Chinese.” Garland made the comments during a March 29 appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. He came to Capitol Hill to discuss the…


House Intel Republicans to Probe ‘Egregious’ FISA Abuses Allegedly Used to Illegally Spy on Americans

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have formed a working group to investigate “egregious abuses” of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which has allegedly been used to illegally spy on millions of Americans. The group will be led by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), a congressman who claims to have been one of over 3.3…


GOP Congressman Says He Believes FBI Illegally Spied on Him Under FISA Authority

Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) on March 9 suggested that he was the subject of an unlawful Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) query. The lawmaker made the comments during a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee on global threats. In a 2021 report ordered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)—the closed-door judicial body that grants…


DOJ Calls on Congress to Renew Spying Law FBI Used to Justifying Searching Americans’ Data

The Biden administration on Tuesday called on Congress to renew a surveillance law set to expire at the end of the year, calling it a powerful tool in fending off foreign threats despite criticisms that it has become the FBI’s go-to justification for spying on Americans. The law in question, known as Section 702 of…


LIVE NOW: Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen on the Reauthorization of FISA Section 702

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is practical to the Intelligence Community yet becoming more controversial. It will expire on Dec. 31, 2023, if Congress does not reauthorize it. Can this administration get it reauthorized by the current Republican-dominated Congress? What would happen if 702 expired? Is it even necessary in a…


Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen on the Reauthorization of FISA Section 702

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is practical to the Intelligence Community yet becoming more controversial. It will expire on Dec. 31, 2023, if Congress does not reauthorize it. Can this administration get it reauthorized by the current Republican-dominated Congress? What would happen if 702 expired? Is it even necessary in a…