The conservative leaders of the Conservative Action Project yesterday released a statement in support of reforming the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to require the federal
government to obtain a warrant prior to conducting queries of American citizens whose information has been collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The addition of this requirement is a vitally important and necessary step toward rectifying the rampant and widespread abuses of the nation’s surveillance powers.
The improper use of Section 702 authorities by the intelligence agencies has been well documented. What was envisioned as a counterterrorism tool directed at foreigners has been turned on Americans in countless ways: over 278,000 improper searches of Americans’ phone calls, texts, and emails using Section 702 authorities were carried out by the FBI in 2020 and 2021. These include illegal queries of a member of Congress, a United States Senator, elected state officials, donors to congressional campaigns, protestors at various political rallies, and personal searches undertaken on an individual that an NSA analyst was dating.
Failing to structurally change FISA in the face of these scandals would be a consequential missed opportunity for a Republican House majority. Simply hoping that the FBI abides by new reforms is not enough. These searches were already illegal, yet analysts engaged them anyway. The only way to force the FBI into compliance with U.S. law and the Constitutional rights of Americans is to require their observance of a court order or a warrant – while making room for the proper and narrow exceptions to protect the national security of Americans, including against timely and imminent threats.
The FBI has proven that if given even a small degree of latitude, they will make an end run around the Fourth Amendment rights of Americans. In a free society, this cannot and must not be tolerated.
A warrant requirement with narrow exceptions for national security purposes is the only way to prevent the abuses the FBI has already engaged in, and which they will continue to engage in if not restrained by the legislature. We strongly support the inclusion of this requirement and urge all conservatives to support it.
Among the signers of the statement are:
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Chairman, CNP Action, Inc.
The Honorable Jim DeMint
Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute
Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013)
Rebecca Weber
CEO, Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)
Thomas H. Jones
Founder
American Accountability Foundation
The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell
President
The Leadership Institute
The Honorable George K Rasley Je
Managing Editor
Andy Roth
President
State Freedom Caucus Network
Scott T. Parkinson
The Honorable Russ Vought
President
Center for Renewing America
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
David Bozell
President
ForAmerica
Alfred S. Regnery
President
Republic Book Publishers
Lori Roman
President
ACRU Action Fund
David N. Bossie
President
Citizens United
Bob Carlstrom
President
AMAC Action
The Honorable Mark Meadows
Senior Partner
Conservative Partnership Institute
Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Senior Legal Fellow
Conservative Partnership Institute
Kevin Roberts, Ph.D.
President
The Heritage Foundation
Wesley Denton
Chief Operating Officer
Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI)
Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq.
President and CEO
First Liberty Institute
Chad Connelly
Founder and President
Faith Wins
The Honorable Ken Cuccinelli, II
Senior Fellow
Center for Renewing America
Ed Corrigan Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project and
President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute
Myron Ebell Chairman American Lands Council
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
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