FBI Director Christopher A. 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 warrant. In Ray’s opinion, giving up such powers would be tantamount 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 US national security.
“Stripping the FBI of its 702 authorities would be a form of unilateral disarmament,” Wray said in a statement released by the FBI published by Reuters.
In recent years, US 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 place new restrictions on searches of Americans’ communications data.
US officials, however, oppose new requirements for surveillance warrants, emphasizing that information collected under the law is vital to countering cyber threats and interdicting foreign intelligence operations against the United States.
In his testimony before the Senate committee, Wray stressed that the FBI will be “good stewards of our[their] authorities,” citing reforms he said the FBI has already implemented in response to past criticism of law enforcement.
