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Capitol Hill TURF WAR breaks out over rewrite of government’s FISA spy powers
Washington Times ^ | Nov 30 | By Kerry Picket

Posted on 12/01/2023 6:35:48 AM PST by RandFan

Lawmakers on the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees are fighting over how to rewrite rules for the government’s chief spying tool before it expires at year’s end.

The House Judiciary Committee insists that Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the government to scoop communications from a wide range of non-American targets abroad, must be fundamentally rewritten to stop a history of abuses that snared Americans.

But the intelligence committee says a total rewrite would undermine the value of the program, which the national security community says is the backbone of U.S. efforts to constrain China, stop fentanyl smuggling cartels and sniff out terrorist attacks.

The issue boiled over this week in a closed-door meeting in a sound-proof room in the basement of the Capitol that had been swept for electronic bugs — known as a sensitive compartmented information facility or SCIF in Washington spy jargon.

“The Intel Committee is supposed to spy on foreigners. The Judiciary Committee has the domestic side of this and this is our jurisdiction,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican and a member of Judiciary, as he emerged from the room. “If you want to surveil Americans, that doesn’t belong in the Intel Committee. They have oversight over the CIA and other things that aren’t civilian in nature.”

But intelligence committee members said the Judiciary Committee folks don’t understand “the nuances” of the program and what’s at stake. They said their plan would protect Americans without doing serious damage to the national security abilities of Section 702.

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


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
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This is what Snowden revealed they used for mass surveillance of Americans
1 posted on 12/01/2023 6:35:48 AM PST by RandFan
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To: RandFan
...which the national security community says is the backbone of U.S. efforts to constrain China, stop fentanyl smuggling cartels and sniff out terrorist attacks.

Evidently FISA isn't doing a good job of what they say they need it for. Thus no reason to keep FISA, certainly not at the detriment of our civil liberties.

2 posted on 12/01/2023 6:46:15 AM PST by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: RandFan

Seeing as they only use this against citizens, shut this down. They can watch the terrorist a different way, they don’t seem to use this against foreigners. While we are at it, get rid of the CIA and FBI too.


3 posted on 12/01/2023 6:47:58 AM PST by dgbrown
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To: RandFan

...to constrain China, stop fentanyl smuggling cartels and sniff out terrorist attacks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sounds like talking points meant to persuade conservatives. Apparently the “intel community” sees conservatives as the main threat to its surveillance powers. Certainly liberals don’t care about the things listed.


4 posted on 12/01/2023 6:55:05 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: RandFan

Bottom line: They will get their FISA renewal.


5 posted on 12/01/2023 7:02:09 AM PST by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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To: RandFan

Excuse me for asking, as this is a very important issue, but....
Isn’t the judiciary committee supposed to investigate and impeach rogue judges?


6 posted on 12/01/2023 7:13:12 AM PST by joe fonebone (And the people said NO! The End)
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To: RandFan
This is what Snowden revealed they used for mass surveillance of Americans

And what Obama/Clinton weaponized against Trump in 2015/2016

7 posted on 12/01/2023 7:15:17 AM PST by PGR88
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To: RandFan

Why is that tool Massie everywhere all of a sudden?


8 posted on 12/01/2023 7:17:31 AM PST by HYPOCRACY (This is the dystopian future we've been waiting for!)
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To: Tell It Right

Fights could break out at PTA meetings if they don’t have the power to spy on these ‘domestic terrorist parents’.


9 posted on 12/01/2023 7:19:02 AM PST by silent majority rising (When it is dark enough, men see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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To: RandFan

The DC Beltway is shaped like a large toilet bowl. I suggest a repeated flushing.


10 posted on 12/01/2023 7:26:02 AM PST by blackdog ((Z28.310) My dog Sam eats purple flowers.)
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To: All

Call Congress NOW
(202) 224-3121
Tell them your state and zip, they’ll connect you.

MESSAGE -— 54 Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Speaker Johnson
Not to Slip “Deep State Surveillance Authorization” in Defense Bill

Congress should strip funding from the censorship group, NewsGuard, in the latest National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) since it received a $750,000 taxpayer-funded grant from the Department of Defense.

If a govt organization is suspected of having political bias, that’s unconstitutional.
The US government cannot support that w/ tax dollars.

And this: a very pertinent point regarding the “outsourcing of censorship.”

NDAA SECTION 1532 “That which government is
constitutionally prohibited from doing, it cannot
contract with others to do.”

Congress must make sure that Section 1532 is preserved in the final version of the NDAA.


11 posted on 12/01/2023 7:27:54 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: RandFan

Dont rewrite - allow it to expire.


12 posted on 12/01/2023 7:27:55 AM PST by taxcontrol (The choice is clear - either live as a slave on your knees or die as a free citizen on your feet.)
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To: All

REFERENCE-—Section 702 is a key provision of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 that permits the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the United States, with the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers, to acquire foreign intelligence information.

call Congress NOW

MESSAGE-—DO NOT renew 702. Let it expire December 31st, PERIOD. It expires if they do nothing, which is exactly what they need to do.

702 is the most abused section of The Patriot Act (*spit*), allowing the secret spy court (FISA) to allow unlimited spying on anyone the DOJ (FBI) wants without telling anyone. They created giant databases of everything electronic on everyone, and individual agents can go into them and track ex-wives, their neghbors, Presidents (Trump), their families, friends, anyone.

The whole Russia Colusion Hoax was so they could spy on Trump, using 702.

Call them now!

(202) 224-3121

Tell them your state and zip, they’ll connect you.


13 posted on 12/01/2023 7:29:36 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: dgbrown

“...Seeing as they only use this against citizens...”

Not just citizens, but specifically MAGA citizens. You NEVER see those CIA pricks go after democrats.

SHUT IT DOWN! And later, arrest and imprison those CIA scumbags that targeted conservatives. /spit


14 posted on 12/01/2023 7:35:52 AM PST by Flavious_Maximus (Tony Fauci will be put on death row and die of COVID!)
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To: RandFan
Gee wiz, they are really doing a great job, "constrain China, stop fentanyl smuggling cartels and sniff out terrorist attacks."
15 posted on 12/01/2023 7:39:57 AM PST by Flint
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To: RandFan

Need to spy on the Trump campaign, so they won’t drop any of it.


16 posted on 12/01/2023 7:46:53 AM PST by fruser1
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To: Tell It Right

GOP needs to “rewrite” it by defunding and abolishing this needless court that is abused by the DOJ in order to impact elections based on falsifying warrants.


17 posted on 12/01/2023 8:11:55 AM PST by MTBobcat (The “rank-and-file” are as corrupted as their leadership.)
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To: RandFan

“THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE” INCLUDES TLAIB.....T
LET THAN SINK IN .


18 posted on 12/01/2023 9:00:52 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: HYPOCRACY

lol Massie is a very important person now he is on a lot of influential committees


19 posted on 12/01/2023 9:07:01 AM PST by RandFan
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To: RandFan
But intelligence committee members said the Judiciary Committee folks don’t understand “the nuances” of the program

When that word "nuance" is uttered in DC, it is sure to be followed by a river of unmitigated BS.

20 posted on 12/01/2023 9:25:42 AM PST by Major Matt Mason (To solve the Democrat problem, the RINO problem must first be solved.)
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