The RINO branch of the GOP is joining forces with mainstream media and their Democrat colleagues to target the so-called "MAGA Republicans" who blocked the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). According to former Attorney General Bill Barr:
We’re faced with probably the greatest threat to the homeland from terrorist attack and our means of defending against that is FISA. And to take that tool away I think is going to result in successful terrorist attack and the loss of life.
Other Republicans sing a similar tune to that of Rep. Greg Murphy, who accuses the so-called MAGA branch of the GOP of "crying wolf" by inflating the significance of issues that have little to no consequence.
Does this issue indeed have little to no consequence? Are these "MAGA Republicans" so reckless as to put American life at risk for the sake of party politics? Glenn sat down with these Republicans to find out, and here is what the mainstream media is NOT telling you about the dangers that are in the FISA bill.
What is FISA?
First, let's set some context. FISA is a foreign surveillance bill passed in 1978 that enables the federal government to spy on foreign terrorists. The bill has to be renewed every five years, and the deadline for its next renewal is April 19th. FISA's enabling of the U.S. government to spy on foreign terrorists is not contested. The debate hinges on Section 702, which allows the U.S. government to collect communications of non-Americans located outside the country without a warrant if it's intended to gather foreign intelligence.
Under the Constitution, not even the worst criminals are required to prove their innocence to the government.
Proponents of Section 702 say that non-Americans aren't protected by the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution and are therefore subject to warrantless searches and seizures. They are correct. The Fourth Amendment does not protect foreign nationals. What the proponents aren't telling you is that Section 702 enables warrantless surveillance of Americans in addition to foreign nationals.
This is how they do it. If a foreign national under warrantless surveillance engages in communication with a U.S. citizen, that U.S. citizen is now subject to warrantless surveillance. But it doesn't stop there. Whoever they talk to, including fellow Americans, are also brought under surveillance. Its effects are exponential, opening up a backdoor to enable virtually limitless surveillance of U.S. citizens. As Glenn explained, "They are scooping up all kinds of information on you that doesn't have anything to do with terror overseas [nationals]."
The 4th Amendment Is Not For Sale Act
Freedom Caucus Republicans have attempted to introduce amendments to FISA to protect Americans from Section 702. Glenn recently had Rep. Warren Davidson on his show to discuss a bipartisan amendment he co-authored back in 2023 called The 4th Amendment Is Not For Sale Act. Davidson explains that the amendment specifically "prevents the federal government from buying data from data brokers that they would otherwise have to get a warrant from a subpoena to obtain." That means if a foreign national under surveillance contacts a U.S. citizen, the federal government would have to prove before a judge that the U.S. citizen has acted in a way that jeopardizes national security and justifies a warrant to obtain that communication.
In short, the federal government has to abide by the 4th Amendment. What a novel idea.
Section 702 opens a backdoor to enable virtually limitless surveillance of U.S. citizens.
The 4th Amendment protects U.S. citizens from the tyranny of a police state. Davidson recounted to Glenn how King George III violated the privacy of the colonists to look for political dissidents. It is common for people to write off concerns about FISA and Section 702, arguing that law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from this type of surveillance. As Glenn said, this is the same type of argument made by proponents of the Patriot Act. However, as Davidson rightly said:
The 4th Amendment doesn't say, 'Well, if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear.' It says, 'As an American, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Without probable cause, and [the government] can't search your stuff. And with probable cause, they have to get a warrant, even for really bad people.
Under the Constitution, not even the worst criminals are required to prove their innocence to the government. Our innocence is assumed, and the burden to prove otherwise falls on the government's shoulders, not ours. That's what the 4th Amendment guarantees and what Section 702 blatantly disregards.
The RINOs got their way...
The Constitutional wing of the Republican party in the House voted against FISA's renewal due to Speaker Johnson's rejection of Davidson's amendment to protect American citizens from warrantless searches and seizures. However, Johnson got his way, and as of today, FISA was passed by the House with no warrant requirement. The bill is now headed to the Senate, who has until April 19th to debate the bill.
Now is the time to contact your Senator and demand that they include an amendment to protect American citizens from warrantless espionage. Glenn's audience has made an incredible impact on key legislation before. Now is the time to rise to the occasion again and protect the 4th Amendment rights of the American people.
