Trump meets Johnson as outcry over Bill Pulte threatens Fisa renewal
President backs Pulte for acting DNI chief despite backlash that puts reauthorization of key surveillance law at risk
TL;DR
- Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set to expire by the end of the week.
- This law allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets overseas without a warrant.
- Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte, a political loyalist with no intelligence background, as acting Director of National Intelligence.
- Pulte's appointment has caused controversy and collapsed a bipartisan renewal deal for Section 702.
- Failure to reauthorize the law will not immediately stop surveillance due to a FISA court order.
- A permanent nominee for Director of National Intelligence is considered the most likely solution to the impasse.
- The roles of Attorney General and acting Attorney General are also relevant to Section 702 oversight.