FISA Must Be Followed, Not Modernized

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was passed by Congress in the wake of Watergate and an executive branch that had careened out of control.  Now, after revelations that our current president authorized domestic spying with his warrantless wiretapping program, he and his administration have the nerve to ask Congress to expand the very law they violated.

The reason that FISA exists is to protect Americans from domestic spying.  If we allow this administration to bend the law to its wishes, what will happen to our Bill of Rights? Our Constitution?

At no point has the administration publicly provided evidence of how the current standards are impeding investigations.  The government has never substantiated its claim that the current guidelines hamper the intelligence community or are impractical for agents who must abide by them.

Also, hidden in the administration’s proposal is a get-out-of-jail-free card for any and all telecommunications companies that cooperated with the president’s warrantless wiretapping program.  We don’t even know the extent or details of the criminal behavior for which they would receive immunity since we still have no real working knowledge of the program itself.  That’s not national security – that’s a cover up.

Hiding behind the guise of “modernization