The Chaos Caucus, led by malcontent Matt Gaetz (R, S, ??, FL) is well known for sabotaging US support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian President for Life Vlad Putin. No surprise; he’s at it again. This time Gaetz and his fiends, at the behest of Donald Trump, would like to reduce the US defensive posture against terrorist attacks.
The War on Terrorism didn’t start in September of 2001. There have been terrorist attacks and attempts since the 1960s and before. Intelligence efforts have been the mainstay of the United States’ defense against these attacks.
Fifty Terror Plots Foiled Since 9/11: The Homegrown Threat and the Long War on Terrorism April 25, 2012 The Heritage Foundation
List of unsuccessful terrorist plots in the United States post-9/11 Wikipedia
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was signed into law in 1978 by then President Jimmy Carter. It regulates the ability of the FBI and CIA to monitor suspected terrorists and their associates in foreign countries and in the United States. It forces these agencies to obtain permission from a court before gathering information.
FISA was enacted in response to revelations of widespread privacy violations by the federal government under U.S. president Richard Nixon. It requires federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to obtain authorization for gathering “foreign intelligence information” between “foreign powers” and “agents of foreign powers” suspected of espionage or terrorism. The law established the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to oversee requests for surveillance warrants. WIkipedia
It is amazing that the demagogue Trump would twist the truth; claiming this act is to allow illegal surveillance instead of regulating intelligence organizations (PBS). Letting FISA fall could weaken our stance against terrorist attacks in the future. Are the gods of these clowns planning something we should know about?
Related: Conservatives deal another blow to Speaker Johnson, defeating FISA rule after Trump push CNN on Yahoo