Attorney General Commits to Ending Warrantless Surveillance
On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi assured Representative Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) that the Trump administration will collaborate with Congress to eliminate warrantless surveillance on Americans.
Bondi’s comments were made during her appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, where the focus was on the Biden administration’s immigration policies. This discussion also touched on issues related to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which has resulted in the monitoring of phone records of Congress members.
Section 702 is designed to target foreign threats. However, it seems that this has led to the unintended monitoring of many private communications of Americans, raising concerns about it contradicting the Fourth Amendment’s protection against warrantless searches.
Biggs, who advocates for privacy rights and chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Oversight, pointed out that during her confirmation hearing, Bondi had stated that there needs to be a legitimate reason for the government to monitor Americans’ private communications.
“You testified in January 2025, agreeing with Senator Lee that intercepted or stored communications of Americans should not be investigated unless there is a valid reason,” he mentioned.
In the ongoing conversation about reauthorizing FISA in 2024, Biggs suggested an amendment to require a warrant for monitoring Americans’ communications. This amendment nearly passed with a vote of 212-212, receiving support from 86 Republicans.
Notably, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) also voted in favor of this amendment aimed at safeguarding Americans’ privacy.
Biggs elaborated on his proposal:
My recent amendment sought to establish clear warrant requirements for searching Americans’ data, while still allowing for necessary operational exceptions like emergencies and national security threats. My goal was to ensure the DOJ can keep Americans safe while putting an end to warrantless data searches.
Should there be additional exceptions that would enable the DOJ to operate effectively while still protecting the privacy of Americans?
In response, Bondi stated, “We are dedicated to working with Congress to address any wrongdoing from Jack Smith, others, and past administrations.” She also expressed a willingness to collaborate with Biggs, Speaker Jordan, and other officials to tackle this issue.
