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☆ Senate Passes Two-Year Extension of Surveillance Law Just After It Expired
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Charlie Savage | Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Senate early on Saturday approved an extension of a warrantless surveillance law, moving to renew it shortly after it had expired and sending President Biden legislation that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism but that privacy advocates decry as a threat to Americans’ rights. The law, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, had appeared all but certain to lapse over the weekend, with senators unable for most of Friday to reach a deal on whether to consider changes opposed by national security officials and hawks. But after hours of negotiation, the Senate abruptly reconvened late on Friday for a flurry of votes in which those proposed revisions were rejected, one by one, and early on Saturday the bill, which extends Section 702 for two years, won approval, 60 to 34. “We have good news for America’s national security,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic majority leader, said as he stood during the late-night session to announce the agreement to complete work on the bill. “Allowing FISA to expire would have been dangerous.”

Persons: Biden, “, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, FISA, Democratic Locations: New York

☆ Senate passes reauthorization of a key U.S. surveillance program after midnight deadline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

After its midnight deadline, the Senate voted early Saturday to reauthorize a key U.S. surveillance law after divisions over whether the FBI should be restricted from using the program to search for Americans' data nearly forced the statute to lapse. The legislation approved 60-34 with bipartisan support would extend for two years the program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. "If you miss a key piece of intelligence, you may miss some event overseas or put troops in harm's way," Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. One of the major changes detractors had proposed centered around restricting the FBI's access to information about Americans through the program. "I think that is a risk that we cannot afford to take with the vast array of challenges our nation faces around the world," Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Friday.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Ayman al, Sen, Marco Rubio, shouldn't, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Schumer, Dick Durbin, Durbin, Democratic Sen, Mark Warner Organizations: Homeland, U.S, Capitol, Foreign Intelligence, White House, FISA, Republican, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, United, Justice, Biden, U.S . Capitol, Democratic Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, harm's, United States

☆ Schumer says senators struggling to reach deal to pass FISA before deadline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ted | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

There is broad support in the Senate for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and it will eventually be approved. We want to get FISA done as soon as we can, because it’s very important for our national security. So, both sides need to fully cooperate, if we want to get FISA done,” Schumer said on the floor. Under FISA’s Section 702, the government hoovers up massive amounts of internet and cell phone data on foreign targets. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also pressed for passage of FISA bill, which he said has a number of changes in it to address past “abuses” by the FBI.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, “ We’re, ” Schumer, Critics, Schumer, ”, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, Republicans, Foreign Intelligence, FISA, The New York Democrat, FBI, Kentucky Republican Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

☆ Surveillance Bill Clears Key Hurdle in Senate Ahead of Friday Expiration
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Luke Broadwater | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Senate on Thursday agreed to move ahead with a two-year reauthorization of an expiring warrantless surveillance law, rushing to pass the legislation before a Friday deadline when the statute is set to lapse. The bill would extend a provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that intelligence officials say is critical to collecting data and communications to target terrorists. The House passed it last week but it still must overcome several procedural obstacles in the Senate, where some members are pushing for major changes, before a final vote. On Thursday, it cleared its first key hurdle when the Senate voted 67 to 32 to push it forward.

Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, FISA, Senate

Washington CNN —A bill that reauthorizes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act cleared a procedural hurdle on Thursday, paving the way for its passage ahead of a looming Friday night deadline when the intelligence community surveillance tool expires. The test procedural vote passed 67-32, with a combination of liberals and conservatives voting against. It’s unclear if the renewal will happen before the law lapses on Friday. Under FISA’s Section 702, the government hoovers up massive amounts of internet and cellphone data on foreign targets. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court recently OK’d procedures for the program through April 2025, but if the authority lapses on Friday, it is possible that some US companies could refuse to provide the government with data under that certification.

Persons: “, Chuck Schumer, Critics, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: Washington CNN, Foreign Intelligence, FISA Locations: Ukraine

☆ Second Republican backs effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Scott Wong | Rebecca Kaplan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP speaker," Massie wrote on X , referring to former GOP Speaker John Boehner, who resigned in the middle of his term in 2015 while facing a similar conservative rebellion from Massie and others. WASHINGTON — A second House Republican said he will support an effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from power over his handling of foreign aid for Ukraine and other issues. Johnson told rank-and-file House Republicans in the room that he won't resign, Massie said, a point he reiterated to reporters. "I stand with the speaker," Trump told reporters when asked about Greene's efforts, adding that he gets along great with both Greene and Johnson. One moderate Republican facing a tough re-election bid this fall, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called Greene and Massie's efforts "idiotic."

Persons: Thomas Massie, Anthony Fauci, Tom Williams, Massie, Johnson, Boehner, John Boehner, Marjorie Taylor Greene, WASHINGTON —, Mike Johnson, Rosie, Greene, Republicans —, —, Kevin McCarthy, Jared Moskowitz, Ralph Norman, Matt Gaetz, Troy Nehls, Jim Jordan, MAGA, Donald Trump, Trump, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Molinaro, McCarthy, — Kyle Stewart, Syedah Asghar, Lori Rampani, Ryan Nobles, Sahil Kapur Organizations: Capitol Visitor Center, National Institute of Allergy, Inc, Getty, Triple, FISA, GOP, Republicans, Republican, U.S, Capitol, Caucus, MAGA Republicans, New York Republican Locations: Ky, Kentucky, Ukraine, WASHINGTON, DC, Washington , DC, Texas, Ohio, Mar, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico

☆ Trump says MTG has 'a lot of respect' for Speaker Mike Johnson, but her comments on a podcast the same day suggest otherwise
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been threatening to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his chair. AdvertisementDonald Trump appears to be trying to play the role of diplomat amid ongoing tensions between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. "I stand with the speaker," Trump told reporters as Johnson stood beside the former president. But hours before Trump held his press conference, the Georgia representative repeatedly criticized the Speaker on Steve Bannon's "War Room" show. AdvertisementSpokespeople for Greene, Johnson, and Trump did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, MTG, Steve Bannon's, Johnson, —, Trump, Greene, Marjorie, Greene excoriated Johnson, I'm, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: Service, Foreign Intelligence, FISA, Trump, Politico Locations: Georgia, Lago, Florida, California

☆ Surveillance Bill Clears Key Hurdle in House, Putting It Back on Track
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Luke Broadwater | Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The House took a critical first step on Friday toward reauthorizing a law extending an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism, voting to take it up two days after a previous attempt to pass it collapsed. On a party-line vote of 213 to 208, the House agreed to take up the new version of the legislation, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702. That cleared the way for a debate Friday on proposed changes to the bill before a final vote on passage. The preliminary vote on Friday suggested that the measure was back on track after former President Donald J. Trump implored lawmakers this week to “kill” FISA, complaining that government officials had used it to spy on him. Should it pass the House, the Senate would still have to clear it, sending it to President Biden for his signature.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald J, Trump, Biden Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, FISA Locations: reauthorizing

The House has put a modified surveillance bill on track for final passage as soon as Friday, just days after an earlier version failed to advance in a public rebuke to GOP leadership. The House voted Friday morning to approve the rule governing debate surrounding the modified bill behind Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization, a key step before final passage. Greene was seen on the House floor speaking to Johnson, who later told reporters the two spoke about “all sorts of things.”“Marjorie and I agree on our conservative philosophy,” Johnson said. Johnson organized a classified reading room off the House floor for members to view classified information ahead of Friday’s vote, according to a GOP leadership aide. White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby reiterated the White House’s support for the reauthorization ahead of the final House floor vote expected later Friday.

Persons: Mike Johnson –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Greene, ” “ Marjorie, ” Johnson, “, Donald Trump, ”, Joe Biden, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Kirby, CNN’s Aileen Graef Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, GOP, Louisiana Republican, FISA, Trump, House, FBI, Senate, reauthorization, White, National Security Locations: Louisiana, Georgia, Ukraine, Florida, Iran

☆ Opinion: How Trump plans to win the presidency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Julian Zelizer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A potentially successful multi-prong strategy with electoral, media, legal, legislative and third-party intervention appears to be in place. Julian Zelizer Larry LevantiWhile 2020 was about subverting the Electoral College, Trump has been trying to work the rules to his advantage in 2024. These tactics build on the ways that Trump’s campaign had moved to shift primary rules to favor him. Trump is also working the 24-hour cable news and social media ecosystem to his advantage. When a bipartisan group of senators pushed a right-of-center immigration and foreign aid bill, Trump rallied his House minions to subvert passage.

Persons: Julian Zelizer, Donald Trump, Julian Zelizer Larry Levanti, Trump, Joe Biden, —, Biden, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, Mike Johnson, Robert Kennedy Jr, Jill, Timothy Mellon — Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, New York Times, America, Twitter, Electoral College, Republicans, GOP, MAGA Republicans, FISA, Green, The New York Times, Inc, Cornel Locations: In Nebraska, New York, Trump’s, Ukraine

☆ What information is the government actually collecting under FISA?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They scuttled House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to extend the FISA Section 702 program with minimal tweaks. It is true that the FBI obtained warrants through FISA to wiretap Carter Page, an adviser to Trump’s first presidential campaign. According to the National Security Agency, 60% of what appears in the Presidential Daily Brief has some data that comes from the 702 program. The 702 program has been updated in the years since its inception, including in 2018, to include new protections to minimize Americans’ communications from being accessed without a warrant. Additionally, these proposals would bar the government from sidestepping warrant requirements by simply buying the data of Americans from so-called data brokers.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, “, Mike Johnson’s, Carter, Trump’s, Trump, Read, Katie Bo Lillis, Johnson, Christopher Wray, ”, Leon Panetta Organizations: CNN, Foreign Intelligence, Trump, FISA, Republicans, FBI, Privacy, Civil, National Security Agency, Center for Justice, New York University, Brennan Center, Intelligence Community, National Intelligence, House, CIA, New Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, New York City

CNN —House conservatives revolted against GOP leadership and defeated a FISA rule vote on the floor Wednesday, the latest blow to Speaker Mike Johnson that comes after former President Donald Trump called on Republicans to kill the bill. “KILL FISA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. Johnson told members at a closed-door conference meeting Wednesday morning that he spoke with Trump Tuesday night. But, according to members, Johnson told them they didn’t discuss FISA. In his call to “kill FISA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Trump, “, ” Trump, Johnson, Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, Tim Burchett, ”, Marjorie Taylor Greene, surveil Trump, Carter Page, ” Johnson, ” CNN’s Lauren Fox Organizations: CNN, GOP, FISA, Republicans, Foreign Intelligence, Reforming Intelligence, Republican, Florida GOP, Tennessee GOP, Trump, The Georgia Republican, Authority, National Defense, FBI, House Republicans, Truth Locations: Louisiana, Florida, Trump’s

☆ Trump is recreating his web of chaos at home and abroad in a preview of what a second term could look like
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Some top Democrats worry that Americans have forgotten the chaos that raged every day Donald Trump was president, and that voters’ faded recall of the uproar will end up handing him a second term. Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to topple Johnson if he dares to pass it. — Nationwide chaos is, meanwhile, spreading in the wake of the Trump-built Supreme Court conservative majority overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. — Bipartisan efforts to solve a border crisis are in tatters after Trump’s House followers in February killed the most sweeping and conservative bill in years. Yet Trump has vowed to end the war in 24 hours if he wins a second term.

Persons: Donald Trump, ’, Trump, Mike Johnson, Ukraine –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Roe, Wade, Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Johnson –, Lago Trump, bucked Johnson, Bill Barr, CNN’s Annie Grayer, ” Barr, ”, Barr, “ We’re, Greene, “, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, We’re, laud, Ronald Reagan’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, don’t, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, Putin, Christopher Cavoli, ” Cavoli, Biden, majority’s handiwork, he’d, didn’t, –, he’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Trump, Washington, Trump -, Mar, Foreign Intelligence, FBI, FISA, Kremlin, Ukraine, European Command, House Armed Services Committee, Arizona Locations: Ukraine, Arizona, tatters, America, Washington, Russia, Georgia, Florida, Russian, Mar, Alabama

Meanwhile, Johnson’s allies have asked Trump to publicly support the speaker, or at least stay out all together of his back-and-forth with House Republicans, according to multiple sources close to both Johnson and Trump. Johnson’s strategy also shows the continued grip Trump has on the House Republican Conference. Johnson told House Republicans during a closed-door meeting Wednesday that he had spoken to the former president the previous day. Johnson added: “It would be chaos in the House” if a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair were to succeed. “President Trump’s support on anything would be helpful for the Republican Party,” Hern told CNN.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Johnson, ”, Johnson’s, Trump, speakership, “ I’m, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ” Greene, Greene, ‘, Johnson –, –, Troy Nehls, he’s, Kevin Hern, Trump’s, ” Hern, David Cameron, Cameron Organizations: CNN, Republican Party, Trump, House Republicans, GOP, House Republican Conference, Electoral, Supreme, Republicans, Texas Rep, Oklahoma, Republican, Committee, British, FISA Locations: Ukraine, Texas, Georgia , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Washington, “, Mar

☆ Fact check: Biden makes three false claims about his handling of classified information
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Where the classified material was storedBiden sought to contrast his handling of classified material with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces felony charges for willfully retaining classified documents. According to the special counsel, even classified documents Biden was storing elsewhere in his home were insufficiently secure. Hur wrote that Biden notebooks containing classified information from his vice presidency were found by investigators in “unlocked drawers in the office and basement den” of the home. The classification level of the documents Biden had in his possessionBiden claimed of the documents he possessed: “None of it was high classified. Biden shared information, including some classified information, from those notebooks with his ghostwriter.” He elaborated that Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter by reading “nearly verbatim” from his notebooks “on at least three occasions,” including his “notes from meetings in the Situation Room.”Hur did find, however, that Biden “at times” tried to avoid sharing classified information, by stopping at or skipping over certain material from the notebooks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur’s, Donald Trump, Hur, Trump, “, Ian Sams, ” Sams, CNN’s MJ Lee, ”, Sams, weren’t, Barack Obama, ” Hur, Obama, Mr, Mark Zwonitzer, Afghanistan –, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, ”, White, National Security, SCI, Mr, FISA, Virginia, National Security Council Locations: Lago, Biden’s Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, United States, “, Iraq, Delaware

☆ What is Section 702? Congress is debating the controversial surveillance power
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Juhi Doshi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, allows the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign nationals living outside the U.S. without needing to obtain a warrant. As recently as this month, a court opinion disclosed that FBI employees wrongly searched foreign surveillance data for the last names of a U.S. senator and a state senator. But data on U.S. citizens is still collected when they interact with a foreign surveillance target — that's known as "incidental" collection. Lawmakers from both sides have said they won't vote to renew the provision unless major changes are made in how the FBI uses foreign surveillance data to investigate Americans. "And that means first and foremost addressing the warrantless surveillance of Americans in violation of the Fourth Amendment."

Persons: Samuel Corum, Biden, they're, George Floyd, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Jon, Read, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Bush, Donald Trump, Dick Durbin, Sen, Mike Lee, they've, Patrick Toomey, Toomey, Christopher Wray, Wray Organizations: Getty, Foreign Intelligence, FISA, FBI, Social, American Civil Liberties Union, White, President's Intelligence, Board, National, NBC, Historically, Republicans, DOJ, ACLU's National Security, National Intelligence, Committee Locations: Washington , DC, reauthorize, U.S, China, Russia, Florida, Georgia, Fulton, Utah

CNN —House Republicans unloaded a barrage of criticism directed toward FBI Director Christopher Wray Wednesday, outlining a litany of complaints while Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Jim Jordan opened the hearing launching into a wide array of attacks on the FBI. “House Republicans will attack the FBI for having had the audacity to treat Donald Trump like any other citizen. FBI Director Christopher Wray is sworn in prior to testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing. “We did stand up a whole dedicated unit to focus on threats to FBI, individuals, FBI employees and FBI facilities because of the uptick that we saw over that time period,” Wray said.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Wray, Jim Jordan, Hunter Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “, ”, Matt Gaetz, ” Wray, ” Gaetz, Edgar Hoover, Gaetz, Jonathan Ernst, ’ Wray, Trump . Jordan, Jordan, Jerry Nadler, ” Nadler, Saul Loeb, –, John Durham, Biden, Hunter, ” that’s, ” Jordan, Thomas Massie, Massie, Nadler, Jack Smith’s, – Wray Organizations: CNN — House Republicans, FBI, Catholic Church, Florida Republican, Reuters, GOP, Foreign Intelligence, Republican, Trump ., Ohio Republican, Republicans, Trump, DOJ, FISA, “, White, ” New York Rep, ”, Committee, Getty, CNN, US State Department, Biden, White House, Democratic National Committee, Capitol, Trump’s Locations: Richmond, Florida, Washington , DC, Ohio, United States, Russia, Durham, Ukrainian, Louisiana, Kentucky, Lago, Mar

☆ U.S. officials call spy program key to big cases, but give few details
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. government officials warned on Tuesday of serious national security risks if a key surveillance program set to expire this year isn't renewed, but declined to share specifics of cases in which it had been useful. But the agency has misused the program to spy on Americans numerous times, because the program also allows access to information of Americans in communication with foreigners. "It's not just useful or important or helpful, but at this point, it is vital to addressing a wide array of national security challenges." Among other reforms, the groups have called for requiring a warrant for searches of Americans’ information on the database. Requiring a warrant would be "profoundly harmful" to the country's national security, one U.S. official said.

Persons: isn't, It's, Zeba Siddiqui, Gerry Doyle Organizations: FRANCISCO, Senior U.S, Foreign Intelligence, U.S, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Colonial Pipeline, U.S ., Center for Democracy & Technology, Monday, National Intelligence, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, San Francisco

The documents, according to the indictment, included details about U.S. nuclear weapons, spy satellites and the U.S. military. Here are some of the documents mentioned in the indictment:- A document marked TOP SECRET//[redacted]/[redacted]//ORCON/NOFORN that the indictment says concerned "nuclear capabilities of a foreign country." - A document marked SECRET//FORMERLY RESTRICTED DATA that the indictment says concerned "nuclear weaponry of the United States." - Six top-secret documents marked TK, standing for Talent Keyhole, a classification for materials related to U.S. spy satellites. The indictment says these documents concerned the military capabilities of foreign countries.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jonathan Landay, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S ., Pentagon, CIA, National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, United States, Department of Energy, FISA, Foreign Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Florida, United States, U.S

☆ Insider Interview: James Comey explains the rule-bending feds in his new and 'real' mystery novel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Insider: Let's talk about Benny Dugan, the salty, streetwise investigator who works with prosecutors for the Southern District of New York. And I would say, "What makes you think I'm a good person?" Insider: Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't all the good people get bought up by the end of the book? There are at least 57 FBIs — a New York FBI, a Saint Louis FBI, headquarters, the Washington Field Office. I don't think we've grappled with the implications of that, and whether it fits within our normal Fourth Amendment framework.

Persons: James Comey's, Benny Dugan, Dugan, Smith, —, — relents, Donald Trump, Trump, Comey, Hillary Clinton, Steele, wasn't Comey, Long, Kenneth McCabe, Benny, Kenny, Nora, I've, John le Carré, that's shortsighted, Matt Parker, James Comey, I'm, You've, Martin Scorsese, they've, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Wesson, Trump —, FBI, Southern, of, Justice Department, Twitter, US, CIA, New York FBI, Saint Louis FBI, Washington Field Office, State Department, Justice, New Yorker Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, Cosa Nostra, FISA Locations: of New York, Washington, Brooklyn, New York, Manhattan

☆ FBI misused intelligence database in 278,000 searches, court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. court found that the FBI improperly searched for information in a U.S. database of foreign intelligence 278,000 times over several years, including on Americans suspected of crimes, according to a ruling released on Friday. The decision by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The intelligence database stores digital and other information on individuals. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the FBI to search without a warrant communications of foreigners abroad including their conversations with Americans. The court ruling found the FBI violated rules around the use of the database, created under Section 702 of the FISA Act with its searches.

☆ Special counsel appointed by Trump's attorney general says FBI had no basis for investigating Trump's links to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Special Counsel John Durham concluded that the FBI didn't have sufficient evidence to open its investigation into Donald Trump's connections with Russia, according to a report published by the Justice Department on Monday. For nearly four years, Durham — appointed by former President Trump's attorney general Bill Barr — investigated the origins of the FBI's investigation into links between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. In his 300-page report, he found that it had no basis for opening the investigation in the first place. The FBI investigation, with the code name Crossfire Hurricane, was opened in July 2016 to examine Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election. "After extensive research, Special Counsel John Durham concludes the FBI never should have launched the Trump-Russia Probe!"

☆ Takeaways from special counsel John Durham’s report on FBI’s Russia-Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Special counsel John Durham released his final report on Monday in which he casts doubt about the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The report does not ultimately fulfill the expectations set by former President Trump and his allies who have long claimed that it would prove the FBI’s investigation was nothing more than a political witch hunt. That finding was at the core of Durham’s most scathing criticism of the FBI’s decision to launch a full investigation. “Strzok, at a minimum, had pronounced hostile feelings toward Trump,” Durham wrote, while quoting in a footnote previously known texts between Strzok and Lisa Page, then an FBI attorney. Witness testimony exposed the FBI’s overreliance on the dossier as it sought court approval to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser in 2016.

☆ Special counsel issues report criticizing FBI for launching Trump-Russia investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ken Dilanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The special counsel who spent four years investigating the Trump-Russia probe accused the FBI of acting negligently by opening the investigation based on vague and insufficient information in a sweeping 300-page report made public Monday. The FBI responded to the report, indicating that the missteps identified by Durham have already been addressed. Durham's report examines in painstaking detail various aspects of the now infamous FBI investigation code-named "Crossfire Hurricane," which led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Durham's investigation found that at the time, neither the FBI nor CIA had any intelligence suggesting an improper relationship between Trump and Russia. Durham appears to suggest that the intelligence information should have given the FBI pause in its pursuit of allegations involving the Trump campaign.

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