Jackie Speier: “When are we going to stop pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people? The proposed FISA law protects no one…”

“When are we going to stop pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people? The proposed FISA law protects no one other than the administration and those within it who may use this new-found power to snoop and spy in areas where they have no business looking. We are giving broad new powers to political appointees who have repeatedly disregarded the Constitution and ignored the most basic rights of Americans to live their lives without Big Brother peeking his nose into their private matters. This FISA bill gives the federal government sweeping powers to gather wide swaths of information from foreign sources while providing little or no justification for the national security value of that information. The FISA Court set up to police the process isn't a court at all. Under this bill, the government can gather as much intelligence as it chooses for seven days prior to going to the court. Then, if the court says 'No' to the request, the government can continue to gather intelligence for 60 days while they appeal. Any first year law student knows that is not how courts work. If this were a real court, the government would be required to abide by the decision of the court and seek the warrant prior to conducting surveillance. It is fundamentally untrue to say that Americans will not be placed under surveillance after this bill becomes law.”