The existing law enabling domestic surveillance by the FBI expires on March 15th. That means the FISA Courts cease to exist on March 16th if the law is not renewed and President Trump has made it clear there will be no rubber-stamp reauthorization. I can’t imagine why?
Related: FISA Court – Yeah, Some of Those Warrants Were Not Valid
“The president made it exceedingly clear he will not accept a clean re-authorization … without real reform,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), told reporters after the meeting. “He was told by the attorney general, we can massage around the edges and we can fix this through regulation, the president didn’t accept that, pushed back very vigorously and said ‘we’re not doing this.'”
Trump instead told the lawmakers: “You all work out a bipartisan deal and come back to me and I’ll sign it,” according to a source in the room.
Of course, when the President might be happy with no Domestic Surveillance law everyone else has to figure out how to make him happy enough to keep it. Mr. Trump sees a place for FISA in the National Security sub-structure but his personal experience gives him a unique perspective on it. And he’s told Congress to do their job and show him their work.
If he likes it he’ll sign it but after being the object of FISA abuses for several years what does that look like?
The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that it needs to be a clean bill. No attaching it to ‘must-pass legislation.’ FISA reauthorization will be its own debate.
The clock is ticking. The Ruling class is about to lose their domestic spying privileges. Given what we know who among us can say that is a bad thing?
| Hot Air
