Bill Barr Whines About Trump’s Call To ‘Kill FISA’
On Wednesday, former attorney general Bill Barr whined to the mainstream media about former President Donald Trump’s call for Congress to “kill” the bill reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — which was used to illegally spy on Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Barr has fallen out of favor with conservatives in recent years, who accuse him of betraying his former boss and the American people. Meanwhile, he has become a featured guest for mainstream media networks, who use him as a token “Republican” to criticize conservatives and Trump.
His latest attack on the presumptive GOP presidential nominee came in response to a post on Truth Social, where Trump called on Congress to “kill FISA” ahead of the House vote to extend the surveillance powers authorized in Section 702 of the act.
“KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!” Trump wrote on Wednesday morning.
While the FBI supports the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act — claiming that it simply extends Section 702 of FISA for 5 years by permitting “the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the United States” — conservatives like Trump have criticized the act because it allows for warrantless spying on U.S. citizens who may have communicated with individuals overseas. It was clear that Congress understood the potential consequences of Section 702, but not enough to care about the effects it would have on the American people — as they included a carveout in the reauthorization that would exempt members of Congress from being spied on.
Despite working for the former president and seeing the effects that FISA had on the Trump White House firsthand, Barr supported the reauthorization — issuing a scathing statement to The Hill about Trump’s comments.
“I think it’s crazy and reckless to not move forward with FISA,” he claimed. “It’s our principal tool protecting us from terrorist attacks. We’re living through a time where those threats have never been higher, so it’s blinding us, it’s blinding our allies.”
“I think President Trump’s opposition seems to have stemmed from personal pique rather than any logic and reason. The provision that he objects to has nothing to do with the provision that’s on the floor,” Barr added.
Luckily for Americans, the House disagreed with Barr — as they failed to approve the extension of the warrantless surveillance powers on Wednesday evening. Section 702 is set to expire on April 19.
