President Donald Trump raised opposition to the House FISA act on Twitter this morning, despite White House support for the bill.
The president raised his concerns about the act after viewing a report on Fox and Friends.
“This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?” Trump asked on Twitter on Monday morning at 7:33 a.m.
Fox and Friends reported in the 7:00 a.m. hour that the F.B.I may have used information from the phony dossier to FISA judge. Judge Andrew Napolitano was also critical of the bill in a Fox News segment on Fox and Friends this morning.
But two hours later, Trump wrote a clarification, asserting that he had directed changes to the reauthorization of the surveillance permissions.
“With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land,” he wrote. “We need it! Get smart!”
With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2018
But the current House bill does not include any significant changes to the unmasking process that Trump raised concerns about.
Critics of the FISA bill have advocated for the USA Rights amendment to the FISA legislation, which would restrict intelligence agents to access information on American citizens.
But the Trump White House issued a statement on Wednesday that was strongly opposed to the amendment.
“The Administration urges the House to reject this amendment and preserve the useful role FISA’s Section 702 authority plays in protecting American lives,” a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders read.
After Trump’s duel messages on FISA, Former F.B.I. Director James Comey signaled his support for FISA reauthorization.
“Thoughtful leaders on both sides of the aisle know FISA section 702 is a vital and carefully overseen tool to protect this country,” he wrote. “This isn’t about politics. Congress must reauthorize it.”
Thoughtful leaders on both sides of the aisle know FISA section 702 is a vital and carefully overseen tool to protect this country. This isn’t about politics. Congress must reauthorize it.
— James Comey (@Comey) January 11, 2018
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