FBI Claims They’re Spying on Fewer Americans
Section 702 of FISA: FBI’s Investigation of Americans
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorizes the federal government to investigate non-US citizens abroad in the interest of gathering foreign intelligence. But if the investigation puts them on the trail of a citizen, they are supposed to turn the case over to the FBI. This is a system that’s been around for a while (FISA was enacted in 1978 at the height of the cold war) and it seemed as if it worked pretty well. Of course, that was before we learned of all of the skullduggery and political interference the FBI has been up to recently.
In any event, the FBI has been investigating a lot of Americans under this pretext lately. Between December 2020 and November 2021, the FBI “queried” the names of U.S. citizens nearly 3.4 million times. But the ODNI’s most recent transparency report this week showed that during the same period ending in November 2022, the number of queries plunged to 204,000, a drop of 94%. I suppose they might deserve a cookie for that, but it doesn’t answer the question of why they were going after so many American prior to this. (Fox News)
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said there was a “significant decline” in the total number of queries the FBI made into U.S. citizens between 2021 and 2022 under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
ODNI on Friday issued its annual transparency report on the intelligence community’s use of national security surveillance authorities. The report also outlined the rules designed to “protect civil liberties and privacy and ensure complicate with the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
I’m pretty sure they meant to say “compliance with the Constitution” in the excerpt above. But given the subject, it’s a pretty hilarious typo.
Why was the FBI investigating so many Americans?
Let’s get the obvious thought out of the way first. The period in question ran from December 2020 (right after the election) through November 2021. You don’t suppose that massively inflated number had anything to do with January 6, do you? How many of those millions of queries involved people they suspected might have been in Washington that day? (For the record, the number of queries …
- Section 702 of FISA authorizes the federal government to investigate non-US citizens abroad in the interest of gathering foreign intelligence.
- If the investigation puts them on the trail of a citizen, they are supposed to turn the case over to the FBI.
- Between December 2020 and November 2021, the FBI “queried” the names of U.S. citizens nearly 3.4 million times.
- The ODNI’s most recent transparency report showed that during the same period ending in November 2022, the number of queries plunged to 204,000, a drop of 94%.
It’s important to note that the FBI has been investigating a lot of Americans under this pretext lately. The drop in the number of queries is a good sign, but it doesn’t answer the question of why they were going after so many Americans prior to this. Perhaps, the FBI was trying to find people who were in Washington on January 6. What do you think?
Is the FBI Out of Control?
Recent reports have shed light on the FBI’s questionable practices, particularly in regards to their use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). According to a report by the Department of Justice, the FBI conducted over three million FISA checks in 2020, with more than 30% of them being conducted “in error.” This has caught the attention of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who has called for an end to the FBI conducting FISA investigations.
What is FISA?
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorizes the federal government to investigate non-US citizens abroad in the interest of gathering foreign intelligence. But if the investigation puts them on the trail of a citizen, they are supposed to turn the case over to the FBI. This is a system that’s been around for a while (FISA was enacted in 1978 at the height of the cold war) and it seemed as if it worked pretty well. Of course, that was before we learned of all of the skullduggery and political interference the FBI has been up to recently.
What’s Next?
FISA is scheduled to sunset in December of this year, and Congress wants to reauthorize it. However, there are members from both parties sounding the alarm about the FBI’s abuse of power. Jordan is currently developing a plan to curb some of the FBI’s authority in these areas and provide for increased congressional oversight.
- Jim Jordan has called for an end to the FBI conducting FISA investigations
- Over 30% of FISA checks conducted in 2020 were “in error”
- Congress wants to reauthorize FISA, but members from both parties are sounding the alarm about the FBI’s abuse of power
- Jim Jordan is developing a plan to curb the FBI’s authority in these areas and provide for increased congressional oversight
Personally, I believe that any proposal to reauthorize FISA should wait until the investigations into the politicization and weaponization of the FBI are complete and any guilty parties have been held accountable and replaced. Nothing is going to change unless McCarthy and Jordan force it to change. And the clock is ticking.
FBI’s recent investigations into American citizens. According to a recent report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI made nearly 3.4 million queries into U.S. citizens between December 2020 and November 2021. That’s a lot of snooping! However, the most recent transparency report by the ODNI showed a significant decline in the number of queries made by the FBI, dropping to 204,000 between 2021 and 2022. While this is a step in the right direction, it still begs the question: why were they investigating so many Americans in the first place?
One theory is that the inflated number of queries may have been related to the events of January 6th. How many of those millions of queries involved people suspected of being in Washington that day? It’s certainly a possibility. Regardless, the FBI’s actions have caught the attention of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who has called for an end to the FBI conducting FISA investigations. Jordan pointed out that more than 30% of the checks conducted by the Bureau last year were done “in error,” including one on Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.).
FISA is set to sunset in December of this year, and Congress is currently considering whether to reauthorize it. However, members from both parties are sounding the alarm about the FBI’s actions and the need for greater oversight. It’s clear that the FBI needs to be held accountable for its actions and ensure that it complies with the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Is it Time to Curb the FBI’s Authority?
Recent revelations about the FBI’s collaboration with social media companies to target Donald Trump and suppress unfavorable information about the Biden family have raised concerns about the Bureau’s unchecked power. While some lawmakers are calling for increased congressional oversight, others believe that more drastic measures are necessary.
- Should we wait until investigations into the FBI’s politicization and weaponization are complete before proposing changes?
- Who will be held accountable for any wrongdoing?
- What steps can be taken to ensure that the FBI operates within the bounds of the law?
These are important questions that demand answers. Until we have a clear understanding of what went wrong and who is responsible, any proposal to curb the FBI’s authority should be put on hold. We cannot allow the Bureau to continue operating with impunity.
Time for Change
It’s up to lawmakers like McCarthy and Jordan to push for meaningful reform. The clock is ticking, and we cannot afford to wait any longer. Bold action is needed to restore public trust in the FBI and ensure that it serves the American people, not political interests.
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