The Federal Intelligence Service (FBI) improperly monitored several government employees, according to court documents released Friday.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) issued an opinion after a petition from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed that the FBI misappropriated the powers granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to gather information on anonymous U.S. senators and other state officials. according to to Just the News. Section 702 of FISA gives the FBI considerable oversight powers over foreign targets. (Related: ‘Will You Share This Thought?’: Republican Presidential Candidate Lists 15 Questions for FBI Director Ahead of Hearing)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 28: Law enforcement officers exit the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC on January 28, 2019. (Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
“In June 2022, without further restriction, analysts conducted four inquiries for Section 702 information using the surnames of U.S. senators and state senators,” the court said in its opinion. according to to The Hill. The city judge’s social security number was used to query the 702 database after the judge reportedly had a dispute with the local police chief in October, according to the opinion.
“These disturbing revelations show how Section 702 surveillance, an espionage program the government claims is focused on foreign enemies, is routinely used against Americans, immigrants and those who have never been accused of any wrongdoing,” ACLU’s Patrick Toomey told The Hill.
“The FBI continues to violate the rules put in place to protect the American people and conduct illegal investigations of public officials, including US senators. The time for Congress to intervene is long past,” Toomey said, according to Just the News. “As Congress debates reauthorizing Section 702, these comments highlight why fundamental reform is urgently needed.”
The FBI previously admitted over 275,000 misuses of its 702 database after its April 2022 opinion. The FBI has faced accusations of politicizing the agency in an incident involving pro-life advocates and parents protesting at a school board meeting, and the FBI was involved in censorship based on the following reports: document Twitter owner Elon Musk made the announcement to journalist Matt Taibi.
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