Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard has changed her position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was used to spy on the Trump campaign in 2016 and abused hundreds of thousands of times by the FBI to spy on American citizens. .
Gabbard said Punchbowl News reported last week that she would support the controversial act if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump's director of national intelligence.
Section 702 allows the government to spy on foreign nationals outside the United States with the compulsory assistance of electronic communications service providers. Although supposedly outward-facing, if an American contacts or is contacted by a foreign national through email, social media, or telephone, that American's communications can be intercepted and searched without a warrant. , may be saved.
Blaze News previously reported that the FBI admitted that there were at least 278,000 “unintentional” backdoor search queries in the 702 database of Americans' private communications in 2020-2021 alone. . Members of the public swarmed by the 702 warrantless searches included January 6 protesters, congressional campaign donors, and BLM protesters.
“Politicians say nice things about civil liberties.”
In her final days as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, Gabbard joined Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
advance the bill That would repeal the Patriot Act and invalidate nearly every provision of the 2008 FISA Amendments Act.
Gabbard
said In the video at the time:
The Fourth Amendment very specifically prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant based on probable cause. But thanks in part to the information uncovered by Edward Snowden, we now know that civil liberties have been consistently violated over the past two decades through programs enacted through the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act. I understand. Our government ended up conducting mass illegal surveillance of Americans without warrant or justifiable reason.
Years later, Gabbard remains a clear critic of Section 702;
noticed “Too many politicians say nice things about civil liberties, but when it comes to voting on things like abolishing FISA secret courts and protecting the Fourth Amendment right to privacy,” he said in a speech at CPAC. , they vote in favor of the power elite and against freedom. ”
In an apparent effort to co-opt the U.S. Senate's power elite, Ms. Gabbard has adopted a new view of the spy agency.
Gabbard
Confirmed She flip-flopped in a statement to CNN on Friday, saying, “Unlike other FISA authorities, Section 702 is critical to gathering foreign intelligence on non-Americans overseas. This unique ability cannot be copied and must be protected to protect our country.” while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans. ”
“My previous concerns about FISA were based on inadequate civil liberties protections, particularly regarding the FBI's abuse of warrantless search powers against American citizens,” Trump's predecessor Gabbard said. continued.
shown It would uphold the constitutional rights of Americans in that role. “Significant FISA reforms have been enacted since my time in Congress to address these issues. If confirmed as DNI, I will continue to implement Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people. We will uphold the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans while preserving critical national security tools like this.”
“It was used illegally against me and many others.”
This significant change in direction could improve Gabbard's chances of being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Her support for Section 702 has already won support from Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford (R).
for a long time Supporter of the controversial spy power, said Gabbard's flip-flops were “very important” on NBC News' “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“she
voted against “She said when she was a congresswoman that she wanted changes in the House, and now she's here saying, 'Those changes have been made,' because,” Lankford said. Because change has been going on ever since she's been in Congress,” Lankford said. We have made significant changes in Congress to ensure that the civil rights of Americans are protected. ”
Formerly Lankford
proposed On Wednesday's Wall Street Journal podcast, Gabbard said she should abandon her opposition to the 702 plan.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, seemed similarly pleased with Gabbard's change of heart, telling Punchbowl News on Thursday, “Tulsi Gabbard. “During our conversation, she affirmed that she supports the recently amended Section 702,” and that she supports reauthorization as a DNI in accordance with the law. ”
playing cards
begged “Kill FISA,” Republicans said last year as it neared its expiration date, noting that “it was used illegally against me and many others. They spied on my campaign.” .
fart
Very satisfied Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Biden White House I voted 273 to 147 in favor of reauthorizing the surveillance bill on April 12, 2024.
Republican Sen. Lankford and John Barrasso of Wyoming, despite the defeat of several amendments that Gabbard currently supports that could protect Americans' privacy from spy agencies. Senator John Boozman (Ar. (Canso), Katie Britt (Alabama), Ted Budd (North Carolina), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Tom Cotton (Arkansas) ), Mike Crapo (Idaho State), Joni Ernst (Iowa State), Deb Fischer (Nebraska State), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina State), Chuck Grassley (Iowa State), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Michigan State), John. Kennedy (Louisiana), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Markwayne Mullin. (Oklahoma State), Lisa Samkowski (Alaska State), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska State), Mike Rounds (SD), Marco Rubio (Florida State), Dan Sullivan (Alaska State), John Thune (SD) ), Thom Tillis (North Carolina), Roger Wicker (Mississippi), Todd Young (Indiana) and former Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) are working with Democrats on reauthorization.
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