FOUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO TESTIFY
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jun. 7, 2017) — The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee will hold an open hearing on Wednesday focusing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) beginning at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
The hearing will be broadcast on C-Span and at the Senate Intel Committee’s website.
Testifying will be Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers; Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.
The FISA law, passed by Congress in 1978, allows U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct surveillance of foreign targets, including ambassadors and other representatives from foreign countries, for national security purposes. In order for a U.S. citizen to become the object of government surveillance, a warrant citing the reason for probable cause must be obtained from the FISA Court.
Media reports say that the FISA Court grants nearly 100% of requests made by the U.S. Department of Justice for such warrants. In 2013, however, NPR reported that nearly one-quarter of the requests were granted only after undergoing revisions requested by the court itself.
