Don't believe me? Start your investigation. FOIA is your friend and many of the policy papers are unclassified.
But I will give you a freebie since I happen to know this issue, and whence it came from: the IG for Intelligence Oversight for DoD in 2011-13; the former Director of Intelligence for the Marine Corps, who I knew on a professional basis.
The issue that allowed "collection" on US persons had to do with what the term "collect" actually means. This nuance opened the door to what amounted to the intelligence community "vacuuming up" data and storing it. That is a FACT. It's not a conspiracy theory, it's not some idiot popping off not knowing what the fvck he is talking about, it's a FACT.
Don't believe me? FOIA or you can call a staffer from your congresscritter. Ask for a redacted versos of the judgment from the DoD IG and the followup policy on how it effected the broader intel community.
I reiterate, the CIA would have no charter to collect on the riots here on American soil and they are not going to task overseas collection based on fantasy. That is my point. I use to do this shit.
Reuters.com, January 18, 2017:
CIA UNVEILS NEW RULES FOR COLLECTING INFORMATION ON AMERICANS
[In 2014, legislation gave U.S. intelligence agencies two years to develop procedures limiting the storage of information on U.S. citizens.
The new procedures, under development for years, were signed on Tuesday by CIA Director John Brennan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch.].....MORE
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Knowing what we know now about Brennan and Lynch, which I understand both have lawyered up, you can forgive people if they are a bit skeptical. The FBI is broken and no one trust what they have to say anymore thanks to Comey and his subordinates. I hope President Trump picks Ric Grenell to head the FBI. Grenell may be the only person who has a chance to salvage bureau.