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Trump upends controversial surveillance fight
The Hill ^ | 02/27/20 | Jordain Carney

Posted on 02/28/2020 7:30:07 AM PST by yesthatjallen

President Trump is threatening to blow up an extension of expiring intelligence programs as he backchannels with a cadre of top allies who want to use the bill to reform a shadowy surveillance court.

Congress has approximately 10 working days to reauthorize three expiring provisions of the USA Freedom Act, a 2015 bill that overhauled the country’s surveillance laws, with Attorney General William Barr and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) backing a “clean” extension.

But Trump threw a grenade into those already fragile plans Thursday, when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told reporters that the president supports his effort to include broader reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as part of any reauthorization of the intelligence programs.

“I’ve talked to the president, and I plan on insisting on getting a vote,” Paul said, asked by The Hill about including broader FISA reforms in a bill would authorize the expiring provisions of the USA Freedom Act.

Paul wants a vote on an amendment that would prevent FISA warrants from being used against Americans. Paul’s proposal would also prevent FISA information from being used against Americans in a domestic courtroom. The president, according to Paul, is supportive of his amendment.

SNIP

“If we don't fix FISA now, it will never be fixed,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “This is our opportunity. This is our chance.”

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barr; fisa; randpaul; trump; trusttheplan
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To: AAABEST
What an absolute useless bag-o-s**t he's been.

He's been a huge improvement over Jeff Sessions. Doesn't mean there's not a lot more he needs to do.
41 posted on 02/28/2020 8:53:04 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Lurker
Multiple frauds were committed against the FISA court and NO ONE has been held to account.

*****************

"I do, I have plans to declassify and release [the infamous SpygateFISA docs]. I have plans to absolutely release".

Trump made that statement about one year ago in March 2019. To date we haven't seen a single word of said docs.

Seemingly Trump has no interest or commitment in releasing them.

42 posted on 02/28/2020 8:53:47 AM PST by Starboard (has so far)
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To: Cboldt

FISA reform won’t change the extent of warrantless snooping one bit. All this maneuvering is window dressing.

***************

Agree. The “authorities” will do whatever they want to do regardless, secure in the knowledge that they will never
be held accountable.

The FBI used to be know as the “Untouchables”. Now we know they truly are.


43 posted on 02/28/2020 8:57:09 AM PST by Starboard (has so far)
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To: yesthatjallen

Any more doubt now that Barr and McConnell are swampers?


44 posted on 02/28/2020 8:58:39 AM PST by drypowder
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To: glorgau

Yep, it should be explicit law, not some agency rules to bend whichever way the wind blows.

***************

Explicit laws are useless. DC is a Justice Free Zone. Nothing will change that.


45 posted on 02/28/2020 8:59:01 AM PST by Starboard (has so far)
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To: Lurker

Word


46 posted on 02/28/2020 9:06:46 AM PST by OKSooner (Free Beer Tomorrow)
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To: yesthatjallen
The thing I'm enjoying most these days is observing how many 'conservative' people are slowly coming to the realization that the government, especially the Feral portion of it that resides primarily in D.C (the District of Criminals) is not to be trusted with anything more complicated than delivering the mail.
47 posted on 02/28/2020 9:28:11 AM PST by zeugma (I sure wish I lived in a country where the rule of law actually applied to those in power.)
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To: Starboard

Have no fear. The Qballs will be along shortly quoting quatrains worthy of Nostradamus and telling us to “trust Barr” and “trust the plan”.

L


48 posted on 02/28/2020 9:29:06 AM PST by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Barr needs to go. He’s done enough recently to make anyone question his loyalty.


49 posted on 02/28/2020 9:31:46 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: Cboldt
FISA warrants are so rarely used in a criminal trial, that it’s a reasonable approximation to say they are NEVER used in a criminal prosecution.

This is true to the extent that we're generally aware of. However, illegal surveillance is probably used much more than you can possibly imagine in secret to support investigations and gather 'evidence' that they will later claim came from another source. Anyone who believes otherwise is too naive to be let out in public unaccompanied by an adult.

50 posted on 02/28/2020 9:32:13 AM PST by zeugma (I sure wish I lived in a country where the rule of law actually applied to those in power.)
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To: yesthatjallen
the USA Freedom Act, a 2015 bill that overhauled the country’s surveillance laws

I haven't read this act but whenever I see congress using a slogan to name a bill to hide what it really is, I assume it's bad and really the opposite of what they claim. The Affordable Care act would properly be called "the more expensive and harder to get, less choice act". Likewise I'm guessing this one had less to do with "freedom" and more to do with finding ways to spy on people including Americans. Certainly the FISA court has to go.

51 posted on 02/28/2020 9:33:17 AM PST by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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To: Buckeye McFrog
Under Obama thousands of terrorists became naturalized US Citizens. Reform could drop them off the radar.

Personally I’d rather take my chances with terrorists than with the Deep State at this point.

How utterly convenient for the government. They create a situation that endangers Americans, and then use this endangerment to justify their continued spitting on the Constitution. Nice work if you can get it I suppose.

52 posted on 02/28/2020 9:35:13 AM PST by zeugma (I sure wish I lived in a country where the rule of law actually applied to those in power.)
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To: drypowder
Any more doubt now that Barr and McConnell are swampers?

I keep hoping someone will do something.

53 posted on 02/28/2020 9:37:21 AM PST by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

Sometimes, in some cases, a Libertarian is more “Conservative” than many self-professed Conservatives, and certainly almost always more so than a bunch of RINOs.


54 posted on 02/28/2020 9:47:31 AM PST by Wuli
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To: Founding Father
Read all about him in the Randy Weaver family murder case...he personally defended the murdering FBI agents when the state (Montana, Idaho..sorry I can’t remember which) pressed murder charges, under the theory that FBI agents are given immunity from state charges.

Not only that, but his assistance was pro-bono. That's free of charge for those of you in Rio Linda.

55 posted on 02/28/2020 9:50:31 AM PST by zeugma (I sure wish I lived in a country where the rule of law actually applied to those in power.)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

> tying FISA reauthorization to coronavirus funding

The Grinch had a wonderful, awful idea!

Praying for a miracle here.

People, write to Mitch asap!


56 posted on 02/28/2020 10:08:34 AM PST by old-ager
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To: Lurker

Why do you think the President is stupid.

Your post implies presidential stupidity. Anti President Trump is Anti America


57 posted on 02/28/2020 10:12:30 AM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
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To: Major Matt Mason

“...our politicians and civil servants are incapable of doing the right thing.”

Problem I have is without any investigative format to make illegalities illegal by surveillance and investigation, we’re right back where we started with no threat to those politicians and civil servants we can’t trust. What needs to happen is do the investigations on all that need it and bring down the hammer. The main thing you can trust is those people you don’t trust much worse as without the FISA court there is no way to catch them. Open season.

rwood


58 posted on 02/28/2020 11:10:26 AM PST by Redwood71 (If they)
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To: yesthatjallen

Just completely eliminate it...IMHO...


59 posted on 02/28/2020 2:59:33 PM PST by SuperLuminal (Where is Sam Adams now that we desperately need him)
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To: Major Matt Mason

“....incapable of doing the right thing.”

With nothing to oversee anything, it can get worse.

I was civil service for 12 years and saw a lot of things working my job for the Pentagon that qualified for more than questionable. But you can’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

rwood


60 posted on 02/28/2020 3:01:07 PM PST by Redwood71 (If they)
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