Staff Reports
Another controversy has erupted over the FBI's illegal surveillance on a state lawmaker and a senator. Documents revealed that the agency was able to access a database that is used by the FISA court to monitor foreign intelligence activities. Section 702 of the law allows the FBI to access the database if it believes that an individual is a foreign intelligence agent.
According to the court opinion, an FBI agent was authorized to search the 702 database to find information about two state senators. The search didn't meet the required standards, and it goes to show that the agency is not up to the task.
The federal court tasked with overseeing the corrupt intelligence community’s use of its spy powers released an opinion today that found that the FBI illegally spied on a U.S. senator, a state senator, and a state judge. https://t.co/cr2Upnd47S pic.twitter.com/CXchD3fvcl
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 21, 2023
In October, an FBI agent reportedly searched the social security number a judge in a state court after he had complained to the agency about civil rights issues. The agency did not provide a reason for doing so, and the judge's privacy was invaded.
Although we still don’t know who the lawmakers are, we have been informed. I hope that they are as shocked as we are. The FBI's director, Christopher Wray, claimed that the incident was an improvement over the agency's previous misconduct. Wray's audacity is just outrageous. Instead of trying to justify their wrongdoings, the FBI should get its act together.
The Biden Administration is struggling to renew the surveillance authority of the FISA due to the recent controversies involving the FBI. This incident shows that the agency is incapable of properly handling the concerns of the American people. In addition, it has been revealed that the FBI was able to monitor the activities of thousands of Americans during the protests held by the Black Lives Matter and Capitol Hill groups in 2020.
According to a review conducted by the court, the FBI committed over 300,000 violations between 2020 and 2021. This is a huge amount of abuse, and according to Judge Contreras, the agency frequently broke the rules and procedures.
The repeated instances of illegal surveillance by the FBI are just unacceptable. People's civil liberties and privacy should not be compromised just for national security. The Biden Administration should also think twice before implementing the FISA surveillance program again.
