Jay Rockefeller: “The amendment is described as a way to prevent reverse targeting-- circumstances in which the Government would target…”

“The amendment is described as a way to prevent reverse targeting-- circumstances in which the Government would target persons overseas when its actual target is a person within the United States with whom the overseas person is communicating. The fact is, reverse targeting is prohibited under FISA today. I repeat, it is prohibited under FISA today. If the person in the United States is the actual foreign intelligence target, the Government must seek a FISA order, and, in fact, the Government would have to have every incentive to do so in order to conduct comprehensive surveillance of such a person. What is more, the base bill, S. 2248, makes the prohibition on reverse targeting explicit. The Government cannot use the authorities in this legislation to target a person outside the United States if the purpose of such acquisition is to target for surveillance a person within the United States.”