The US Government Is Hiding a Secret Court Ruling About How It Spies on Americans
Two US senators say the Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding the FISA court decision while it presses Congress to renew America’s most sweeping surveillance program.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, in a secret ruling, objected to search filters that permitted intelligence analysts to obtain Americans' messages from intercepted data without proper approvals, written justifications, or records, as mandated by law. Despite the court approving another year of surveillance, the decision remains undisclosed.
Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Adam Schiff of California claim the administration's deadline for releasing this ruling has passed, and it closed September 13. The Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) program lapsed in June after Congress failed to renew it, but the surveillance continues under the court's March approval.
The administration states that rulings like this one are reviewed for public release "within 180 days of issuance." Senators Wyden and Schiff demand an explanation for the delay and the responsible officials by November 6. The administration is obligated to follow this statutory directive, otherwise, Congress and the American people should question its trustworthiness in adhering to other legal limits to Section 702.
Civil liberties and government accountability groups urge congressional leaders to refuse reauthorizing Section 702 until the administration actively releases the legally required information about the surveillance program's operations.
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