{"id":19472,"date":"2024-04-08T20:53:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T00:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/?p=19472"},"modified":"2024-04-09T08:44:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T12:44:34","slug":"congress-puts-more-nails-constitutional-coffin-renew-fisa19472","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimbovard.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/08\/congress-puts-more-nails-constitutional-coffin-renew-fisa19472\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Post: Congress puts more nails in the constitutional coffin as it’s set to renew FISA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Congress puts more nails in the constitutional coffin as it’s set to renew FISA<\/a><\/h1>\n
by James Bovard<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Promising reforms is the easiest way to perpetuate abuses in Washington.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more than a decade, illegal federal-surveillance scandals have rocked the nation. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives will likely vote this week to continue letting the feds secretly spy on American citizens for another five years.<\/p>\n

Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act had unleashed federal agencies to snoop on anyone they pleased, including anyone \u201csearching the web for suspicious stuff.\u201d 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. Justice Department inspector-general reports have repeatedly exposed FISA<\/a> violations since then.<\/p>\n

A coalition of principled Republican and Democratic members of Congress vigorously pushed for ending the warrantless searches<\/a> of Americans\u2019 data in December. The law was temporarily extended but expires April 19.<\/p>\n

Under FISA Section 702, the National Security Agency vacuums up troves of information as part of its foreign surveillance. But vast amounts of Americans\u2019 personal data are also incidentally snared. Perpetual abuses have occurred when the FBI sifts through Americans\u2019 emails and other information without a search warrant.<\/p>\n

This is why Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) quipped that FISA stands for \u201cFederal Investigators Stalking Americans.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) seemed to agree, just declaring in a Dear Colleague letter, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Johnson has betrayed reformers and helped scuttle any attempt for meaningful limits on FISA spying on Americans.<\/p>\n

In lieu of requiring a search warrant, Johnson and the Deep State fan club on Capitol Hill<\/strong> are pushing the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. Proponents boast that the bill includes 56 reforms to protect Americans\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

Some of the \u201creforms\u201d should have made this bill a laughingstock:<\/p>\n