fisa authority for Section 702 lapsed over the weekend after Congress did not renew the surveillance program. President Donald Trump then said Monday he is against FISA unless the SAVE America Act is firmly attached to it, putting a voter ID fight into the renewal debate.
Section 702 And Trump
Trump posted that he wants the voting measure linked to the surveillance program and wrote, "The Dumocrats want FISA because that’s what they used to go after me for three years during my First Term! I’m against FISA if it doesn’t come with The Save America Act (Full version!) firmly attached to it."
The SAVE America Act would require voters to show ID, show proof of citizenship to register to vote, and curtail mail-in voting. Trump’s demand ties that package to a surveillance authority that lets the U.S. government target non-Americans reasonably believed to be outside the U.S. for foreign intelligence gathering.
Thune And Warner
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Section 702 "the most successful tool when it comes to keeping people and this country safe." The same lapse came during a partisan fight over Trump’s pick of Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national security, while Trump last week announced Jay Clayton as his nominee for the permanent DNI job.
Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called Clayton "a capable public servant" he has "known and respected" for many years. Lawmakers have scheduled a Wednesday confirmation hearing for Clayton.
Section 702 Fisa Fight
The clash is about more than timing. Section 702 is intended to guard against terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, cyber threats and the like, and Matthew Williams, an intelligence community veteran and Tulane University teacher, called it "invaluable" last week.
Williams also said, "Considering the complexity and potential lethality of the threats the nation faces and the immense value of the 702 program is in combating those threats, intelligence authorities should not become bargaining chips in confirmation fights or petty political squabbles." Mark Jones, a Rice University political scientist, said, "But there's no way that the Senate can actually get it passed, and attaching it to specific legislation just would ensure that that legislation, which is a top priority also for Republicans, would not pass."
