Grimy Times has learned that federal officials are sounding the alarm over the potential national security risks if FISA Section 702 is not reauthorized before its December 31, 2017, expiration date.
A joint statement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray, DNI Director Daniel R. Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and NSA Director Admiral Michael S. Rogers warns that failing to reauthorize Section 702 would leave the nation less secure.
The officials claim that reauthorizing Section 702 is vital to keeping the nation safe and that the country will be less secure if Congress fails to act. They also stated that the Intelligence Community would lose valuable foreign intelligence information, and the resulting intelligence gaps would make it easier for terrorists, weapons proliferators, malicious cyber actors, and other foreign adversaries to plan attacks against US citizens and allies without detection.
According to the officials, Section 702 has been instrumental in preventing attacks on the homeland and removing terrorists from the battlefield. They claim that the Intelligence Community conducts and uses 702 collection in a manner that protects the privacy and civil liberties of individuals and that every single court that has reviewed Section 702 and queries of its data has found it to be constitutional.
The officials also stated that the Intelligence Community’s use of Section 702 is subject to extensive oversight and incorporates substantial protections to protect the privacy and civil liberties of individuals. They believe that Congress got it right in 2008 when it passed Section 702 and in 2012 when Congress reauthorized it, but they are open to reasonable reforms to Section 702 to further enhance the already-substantial privacy protections contained in the law.
The officials are urging Congress to act quickly to reauthorize Section 702 in a manner that preserves the effectiveness of this critical national security law before it expires. They warn that winding down such a valuable program would force agencies to divert resources away from addressing foreign threats and that short-term extensions are not the long-term answer, as they fail to provide certainty and will create needless and wasteful operational complications.
Defendant: US Officials (Jeff Sessions, Christopher Wray, Daniel R. Coats, Mike Pompeo, and Admiral Michael S. Rogers)
Criminal Charges: Failing to Reauthorize FISA Section 702
City and State: Washington D.C.
Date: December 2017
Sentence or Outcome: Ongoing
Dollar Amounts: N/A
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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