WASHINGTON — A powerful surveillance tool backed by national security hawks faces a risk of expiring this week after President Donald Trump moved to put it in the hands of an ally without a national security background.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Last week, Trump tapped housing official Bill Pulte to replace the departing Tulsi Gabbard on an acting basis as Director of National Intelligence.Pulte is known for pushing criminal investigations into Trump’s adversaries for mortgage fraud, which Democrats and the targets of those probes say are selective and politically motivated.The DNI oversees Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which gives the administration powers to spy on foreign nationals living abroad without obtaining warrants.
The program has long faced criticism from privacy hawks on the left and right who say it enables the government to sweep up data on Americans and that the program is ripe for abuse.The push to renew FISA Section 702 was already hitting roadblocks and divisions.Democrats and some Republicans want changes to the program to protect Americans’ privacy.But the elevation of Pulte has turned it into a dealbreaker for Democrats, who say they won’t vote to reauthorize the program ahead of its expiration deadline on Friday, June 12.
The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress argue Section 702 is a national security necessity, especially, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued Tuesday, ahead of large events like the World Cup and celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said there’s no scenario where he’d support an extension with Pulte in charge.“The negotiations prior to Trump’s announcement with respect to Bill Pulte were already in a very sensitive place,” Jeffries told reporters on Monday.“And then Donald Trump, as he often does, tosses a ha...