WASHINGTON (AURN News) — The nation’s most powerful, warrantless surveillance program expires this Friday. Congress had a bipartisan three-year reauthorization of FISA Section 702 on track and ready to go. Then Trump blindsided everyone by appointing Bill Pulte, a political ally with zero intelligence experience and no security clearance, as his acting director of national intelligence.
Democrats say no deal will happen until Pulte is removed.
The clock is now ticking. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chairs of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning the administration to prepare for a potentially significant gap in foreign intelligence collection.
They told Rubio to identify every intelligence target that would go dark if the program lapses and, if necessary, draft an executive order to fill the void.
Supporters of the program say it helps protect American troops and track foreign threats, both of which could be affected if the authority expires this weekend.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
