Colorado Congresswoman and House Freedom Caucus member Lauren Boebert called for reforms of Section 702 of the FISA Act in a letter addressed to the National Security Agency (NSA) where Boebert outlined her questions about the government’s surveillance powers infringing on the rights of Americans.
“I write to demand answers about a deeply troubling abuse of power by a National Security Agency analyst who exploited one of our nation’s most sensitive surveillance authorities to spy on Americans met through an online dating service,” Boebert’s letter read.
Section 702 of the FISA Act allows the government to intercept the communications of foreign terror suspects.
But if they email, text or call an American, the NSA collects those communications as well.
In her letter, Boebert referenced a 2023 report that an NSA analyst used Section 702 of the FISA Act to dig up information on American they met through an online dating app.
Boebert told the NSA that the agency had not made public a proper account of how this incident occurred and measures put in place to prevent it from happening again.
“As a Member of Congress who takes both national security and the constitutional rights of every American seriously, I find it unacceptable that nearly three years after this abuse was disclosed, the public has received no accounting of what consequences, if any, were imposed on the individuals responsible,” Boebert’s letter continued.
Boebert argued that the NSA needed to provide answers to Congress before Section 702 of FISA expires on April 20.
“These cases demonstrate a troubling willingness by some NSA personnel to treat sensitive foreign intelligence tools as a personal resource rather than a national security instrument,” Boebert wrote.
House Freedom Caucus members also are pushing for FISA reforms because in 2016, the FBI presented the Christopher Steele dossier to a FISA court to obtain a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
In a Truth Social post urging Congress to unite behind an 18-month extension of Section 702, President Trump referenced what happened to him in 2016.
“I am asking… to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor. We need to stick together when this Bill comes before the House Rules Committee today to keep it CLEAN!” Trump wrote.
“I was a victim of the worst and most illegal abuse of FISA in our Nation’s History,” Trump added.
House Freedom Caucus contend that chapter proves the need for FISA reforms if Section 702 is to continue.
