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Tulsi Gabbard’s FISA Dispute Deepens Inside Trump Team
Clear Facts
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly clashed with President Trump over the warrantless surveillance provision known as Section 702.
- Gabbard previously condemned FISA as an unconstitutional overreach while serving in Congress and co-sponsored legislation to end its data collection powers.
- President Trump is calling for a clean extension of the program to support military operations despite concerns from bipartisan privacy advocates.
New reports indicate that Tulsi Gabbard expressed opposition to a clean reauthorization of FISA Section 702 during a private February meeting with the President. This friction highlights a potential divide within the administration over the controversial surveillance tool that monitors communications involving foreigners and Americans.
While Gabbard recently described the program as a crucial national security asset, her historical stance remains rooted in protecting civil liberties. She previously criticized the lack of safeguards regarding the FBI’s ability to conduct warrantless searches on United States citizens.
“Unfortunately Congress just passed a bill allowing continuation of intel/law enforcement agencies to infringe on your civil liberties,” Gabbard wrote in 2020.
“Patriot Act & Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) needed real reforms to prevent these constitutional abuses. Congress failed to do this.”
President Trump maintains that the surveillance program is essential for national defense and has signaled a willingness to bypass amendments to ensure its continuity. He emphasized that military success often depends on the intelligence gathered through these specific legal authorities.
“Our Military Patriots desperately need FISA 702, and it is one of the reasons we have had such tremendous SUCCESS on the battlefield,” Trump wrote.
Bipartisan groups in the Senate continue to push back against a clean extension, citing the growing threat of mass surveillance through artificial intelligence. Speaker Mike Johnson is currently navigating intense resistance within the GOP as lawmakers demand warrants for accessing private American data.
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