FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The purpose of the speech is to urge lawmakers to decide to extend the executive branch’s authority to conduct surveillance outside the United States without obtaining a court order. In Ray’s view, giving up those powers would amount to unilateral disarmament.
In the face of threats from Iran and China, Wray emphasizes that the broad surveillance powers authorized by Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 2008, which expires at the end of the month, are vital to the national security of the United States. Joined.
“Eliminating the FBI’s Section 702 powers would be a form of unilateral disarmament,” Wray said in a statement issued by the FBI.
In recent years, American lawmakers – both Republicans and Democrats – have been closely examining the government’s capabilities in this area. We are talking, in particular, about the ability of federal law enforcement agencies to monitor American citizens while tracking foreign targets.
Last month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would impose new restrictions on searches for Americans’ communications data.
However, US officials oppose the new requirements for surveillance warrants, emphasizing that information collected under the law is vital to countering cyber threats and intercepting foreign intelligence operations against the United States.
In testimony before the Senate committee, Wray emphasized that the FBI will “execute our authority with integrity,” citing reforms he said the FBI has already enacted in response to past criticism of law enforcement.
