Secret Spying on U.S. Citizens? White House Says Fine
The Biden administration likes the idea of secretly spying on Americans and is using the familiar excuse of national security concerns to justify its position.
In his recent statement at a press conference, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked about the proposed amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that would require a warrant to gather information on American citizens. Sullivan answered that the requirement of a warrant goes against the country’s national security interests.
Sullivan’s statement elicited vigorous criticism from pro-constitution conservative figures as well as right-leaning publications. Daily Express US wrote Sullivan’s statement comes as confirmation that the Biden administration wants to snoop on American citizens without obtaining a court warrant. The story added:
Critics say the existing powers “violate the Constitution” and effectively suspend the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden posted the video clip of Sullivan’s statement with the comment that it shows the White House no longer believes the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution serves the interests of the United States.
Snowden sent shockwaves across the country and abroad in the summer of 2013 when he exposed the Obama-Biden administration for illegally spying on Americans. Liberals labeled Snowden as a traitor and, out of fear for his life, he eventually had to flee to Russia where he was granted political asylum.
On Thursday (February 15), Newsweek cited Montana’s Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale opposing federal government’s spying on Americans without a warrant under any circumstances:
“Congress shouldn’t waste its time on meaningless FISA ‘reform’ but work to abolish this unconstitutional abuse of power!”
The rhetoric of national security is not confined to the Biden administration but some establishment Republican figures are joining in to the frustration of hard-core conservatives. Republican Congressman from Ohio Mike Turner, who serves as the House Permanent Select Committee Chairman, made headlines on Wednesday (February 14) as he called on Joe Biden to declassify information regarding a certain “national security threat.” Turner was cited in The Washington Times as:
“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.” Turner’s statement earned him instant backlash from hardcore conservatives. Floridian Firebrand Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz called out Turner for irresponsible gaslighting of the country with the “national security threat” and warned that it feeds into the administration’s justification for spying on Americans.
Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to open a formal inquiry into Mike Turner’s statement. In a letter to Johnson on Thursday (February 15), Congressman Ogles wrote about Turner’s motive behind his statement:
“In hindsight, it has become clear that the intent was not to ensure the safety of our homeland and the American people, but rather to ensure additional funding for Ukraine and passage of an unreformed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).”
https://twitter.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1758163617524940970/photo/1
Always tough, ever since Bush and Cheney but supported by most ever since. Hate to see them, hate to see them gone even worse.
Yes, the first thing we give up for fear is freedom. 9/11 scared us. This is our reaction.
Best we can do is oversight, whether warrent, third-party oversight, whaterver to get monitoring and control, but with the emphasis on the speed needed by enforcement to keep us safe.
Snowden? Who is that? Isn’t he Russian by now.
You must mean like the fake dossier bought by killery Clinton. Yes. It’s been proven. But the weaponized DOJ doesn’t care.