Mohave Today

In a recent vote against H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), made a strong statement regarding the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two years.

Congressman Gosar expressed his concerns about the misuse of FISA, stating, "Congress purportedly wrote Section 702 of FISA to protect our national security by allowing the intelligence community, including the FBI, to spy on non-American threats without a court order. However, FISA was never intended to spy on U.S. citizens." He highlighted the abuse of FISA by federal agencies, including the FBI, in collecting communications of American citizens without a warrant.

Pointing out a specific instance of abuse, Gosar mentioned that "the FBI has abused Section 702 to conduct warrantless searches against American citizens more than 278,000 times." He also criticized the rejection of crucial amendments that aimed to prevent warrantless searches of Americans, emphasizing that allowing such surveillance is a violation of constitutional rights.

Gosar firmly stated, "As a result, I could not support the warrantless surveillance of Americans allowed under section 702 of FISA and voted against its reauthorization. It is a clear overreach of authority and is a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures."

The Congressman concluded by highlighting the importance of balancing national security efforts with the protection of privacy and civil rights. He emphasized, "While everything must be done to prevent future terrorist activities, it should not come at the cost of the privacy and civil rights abuses of innocent American citizens."

Gosar's stance against the warrantless surveillance of Americans underscores the ongoing debate over the balance between national security measures and individual rights within the realm of intelligence gathering.