nypost.com
Open in
urlscan Pro
192.0.66.32
Public Scan
URL:
https://nypost.com/2024/04/08/opinion/congress-puts-more-nails-in-the-constitutional-coffin-as-its-set-to-renew-fis...
Submission: On April 10 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Submission: On April 10 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOMText Content
Close the sidebar * US News * Metro * Politics * World News * Page Six * Sports * NFL * MLB * NBA * NHL * College Football * College Basketball * Post Sports+ * Sports Betting * Business * Personal Finance * Opinion * Entertainment * TV * Movies * Music * Celebrities * Awards * Theater * Shopping * Lifestyle * Weird But True * Health * Fitness * Health Care * Medicine * Men’s Health * Women’s Health * Mental Health * Nutrition * Sex & Relationships * Viral Trends * Human Interest * Parenting * Fashion & Beauty * Food & Drink * Travel * Real Estate * Alexa * Media * Tech * Astrology * Video * Photos * Visual Stories * * Today’s Paper * Covers * Columnists * Horoscopes * Crosswords & Games * Sports Odds * Podcasts * Careers * * Email Newsletters * Official Store * Home Delivery * Tips Close the sidebar Menu * Facebook * Twitter * Flipboard * WhatsApp * Email * TRENDING NOW Skip to main content TV OUTLET ACCIDENTALLY AIRS MAN'S TESTICLES DURING SOLAR ECLIPSE... 'KILLER SQUATTER' LEADS COPS TO SKELETON OF 19-YEAR-OLD FARMER... KATE MIDDLETON AND FAMILY ARE ABOUT TO FACE THEIR MOST SERIOUS... Opinion CONGRESS PUTS MORE NAILS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL COFFIN AS IT’S SET TO RENEW FISA By James Bovard Published April 8, 2024, 7:37 p.m. ET The House of Representatives will likely vote this week to continue letting the feds secretly spy on American citizens for another five years with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, writes columnist James Bovard. Getty Images/iStockphoto Promising reforms is the easiest way to perpetuate abuses in Washington. For more than a decade, illegal federal-surveillance scandals have rocked the nation. Advertisement Unfortunately, the House of Representatives will likely vote this week to continue letting the feds secretly spy on American citizens for another five years. Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act had unleashed federal agencies to snoop on anyone they pleased, including anyone “searching the web for suspicious stuff.” In 2016, a top FBI lawyer made false claims to the FISA court to launch turbo-charged surveillance of a Trump campaign official, helping open the door to the Russiagate bogus scandal that rocked the Trump presidency. Advertisement Justice Department inspector-general reports have repeatedly exposed FISA violations since then. EXPLORE MORE HOW LONG BEFORE THE BRAVE NPR EDITOR EXPOSING THE WOKE BROADCASTER GETS SHOWN THE DOOR? JOE BIDEN'S INSANE ASYLUM POLICY MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR CRIMINALS MOMENT THEY ILLEGALLY ENTER US JOE BIDEN COURTS HATE AGAINST AMERICA WITH HIS AGENDA ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR A coalition of principled Republican and Democratic members of Congress vigorously pushed for ending the warrantless searches of Americans’ data in December. Advertisement The law was temporarily extended but expires April 19. Under FISA Section 702, the National Security Agency vacuums up troves of information as part of its foreign surveillance. But vast amounts of Americans’ personal data are also incidentally snared. Advertisement Perpetual abuses have occurred when the FBI sifts through Americans’ emails and other information without a search warrant. SEE ALSO TEARS FOR CONGRESS? DC THROWS A PITY PARTY, CLAIMING MEMBERS NEED A RAISE This is why Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) quipped that FISA stands for “Federal Investigators Stalking Americans.” Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) seemed to agree, just declaring in a Dear Colleague letter, “I can state unequivocally that the FBI terribly abused the FISA authority in recent years, and in turn, violated the trust and confidence of the American people.” But Johnson has betrayed reformers and helped scuttle any attempt for meaningful limits on FISA spying on Americans. In lieu of requiring a search warrant, Johnson and the Deep State fan club on Capitol Hill are pushing the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. Advertisement Proponents boast that the bill includes 56 reforms to protect Americans’ rights. Some of the “reforms” should have made this bill a laughingstock: * Requires FBI to establish minimum accountability standards for employees. * Requiring FBI personnel who conduct 702 queries to undergo annual training. Advertisement Why didn’t proponents add two more provisions — “cross their Ts” and “dot their Is” — and claim the bill has 58 fixes for FISA? Capitol Hill is a surreal atmosphere where almost all prior government abuses vanish into mist when congressmen seek to perpetuate federal power. House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) is relying on Orwellian-caliber falsehoods to spur support for reauthorization: “We are not spying on Americans. This is not a warrantless-surveillance program.” Advertisement On Sunday night, Turner told Politico: “FISA is about surveillance of foreigners abroad — the issues of Americans’ privacy and data are unrelated to our spying on foreigners.” Plus or minus 3,394,053? SEE ALSO GOVERNMENT TYRANNY COMES TO MAIN STREET, WITH THE FEDS MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER Advertisement That’s the number of Americans whose privacy was unjustifiably zapped by FBI warrantless searches using Section 702 in a single year, per a 2022 federal report. Turner did not disclose what size broom he used to sweep 3+ million cases under a rug. FBI chief Christopher Wray testified last month that the bureau’s FISA reforms “are working” with a stratospheric rate of compliance. Advertisement But the FBI admitted to conducting 278,000 illicit searches of Americans in 2020 and early 2021 (the period covered by the FISA court ruling released last year). The FBI abused FISA to target people who notified the FBI of crimes, repairmen entering FBI facilities and even chumps who volunteer for the FBI “Citizens Academy” program. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) led the push to require the FBI get a search warrant to pilfer through Americans’ personal information. Advertisement But the RISA pseudo-reform instead would merely “require approval from an FBI lawyer for database searches about Americans.” It was FBI lawyers that inspector-general reports condemned for brazen falsehoods and abuses in the FISA targeting of the Trump campaign in 2016 and 2017. Maybe just rewrite the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on “unreasonable searches and seizures” by adding “except when approved by an FBI lawyer”? Advertisement Or simply replace the Fourth Amendment with a catch-all phrase: “For your own good”? Republicans who are scurrying to perpetuate FISA could enable Team Biden to steal the 2024 presidential election. The 2016 election settled any doubts about whether FBI officials would abuse FISA to undermine a presidential candidate. Advertisement Why expect Biden appointees to be more scrupulous than were Obama administration officials eight years ago? What do you think? Post a comment. Any politicians who dishonestly deny past outrages cannot be trusted to prevent future abuses. Advertisement Confessing millions of violations of Americans’ privacy is not “close enough for government work” in safeguarding constitutional rights. As Sen. Lee observed, “The government has lied, obfuscated, cheated, and manipulated FISA 702, depriving Americans of one of our core constitutional protections.” James Bovard’s latest book is “Last Rights: The Death of American Liberty.” Ad SHARE THIS: Filed under 2016 presidential election , 2024 presidential election , congress , donald trump , Jim Jordan , joe biden , mike johnson , Sen. Mike Lee , surveillance , 4/8/24 Load more... {{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}} TRENDING NOW 1. 'Killer squatter' leads cops to skeleton of 19-year-old farmer who vanished after phone call with grandma in 2022 2. TV outlet accidentally airs man's testicles during solar eclipse coverage 3. Queen Elizabeth's 'favorite grandson', 46, splits from girlfriend 4. Missouri death row inmate executed 18 years after killing cousin, her husband: 'Deeply, overwhelmingly sorry' 5. Kate Middleton and family are about to face their most serious test yet: opinion 6. McDonald's $25 'deal' goes viral, sparks debate over California's minimum wage increase: 'Your new normal' https://nypost.com/2024/04/08/opinion/congress-puts-more-nails-in-the-constitutional-coffin-as-its-set-to-renew-fisa/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons Copy the URL to share * Post Sports+ * Email Newsletters * Mobile Apps * Contact Us * Tips * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * LinkedIn * Email * YouTube © 2024 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved Terms of Use | Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information/Opt-Out Exit mobile version