Senators demand answers on expired surveillance programs:
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Ut.) on Thursday pressed the Trump administration on whether and how mass surveillance programs authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act have been halted since the act's expiration.
The letter to Attorney General William Barr and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe raises concerns that the administration may be be continuing to conduct surveillance operations by relying on Executive Order 12333.
The order, issued on 1981, has been used before to conduct operations without statutory authorization or congressional oversight.
"Congress and the American people have a right to know if this or any other administration is spying on people in the United States outside of express congressional approval, with no or diminished guardrails," Sens. Leahy and Lee wrote.
"The rights of all Americans depend on their government exercising its power responsibly, adhering to the rule of law, and upholding its duty to act transparently. Any surveillance conducted in the absence of statutory authorities and congressional oversight would be extraordinarily concerning and illegal."
Reauthorization of the key FISA provisions under the USA Freedom Act has stalled.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 23 2020, @03:09PM (1 child)
The 'surveillance programs' remain in full operation, but the sources of funding have changed.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday July 23 2020, @03:16PM
Modded up. Why do you think the government is so good at finding money laundering schemes? Because government is the master money launderer. The idea shocked me, long ago, when Iran-Contra came to light. The idea is no longer shocking. Those bastards in Washington will move money around the world 30 times, so they can leach some of it into their pet schemes.