Sept. 12, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging Congress to reject permanent reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA):
“Permanent reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, in the midst of the revelations of malfeasance by intelligence agencies during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period, borders on insanity. The real question Congress must deal with is whether the intelligence community can be trusted with these powers at all. If it is determined it is in our national interest to allow the current mass surveillance architecture to remain in place, Congress can only put it on a very short lease, and Attorney General Sessions must prosecute those who violated the public trust through unmasking political targets in 2016 and beyond.
“The Fourth Amendment has never faced a larger threat than that which is presented in today’s Internet age, where virtually every office and home have multiple electronic devices which open a window and a microphone into each of our private lives. Now is not the time to permanently reauthorize Section 702 of FISA. In fact, it may be time to eliminate it altogether as being incompatible with a free society.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.
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