Himes Wants GOP to ‘Take the Win’ and Hand Trump Mass Surveillance Power Before Dems Take Control
Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said he wants Republicans to hand President Donald Trump mass surveillance powers before Democrats take control of Congress and are able to pass needed privacy protections. Trump and Stephen Miller have called on Congress to renew the federal government’s controversial warrantless surveillance authority, also known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — without privacy reforms that are popular across political ideology. In the next Congress, Democrats and pro-privacy Republicans will have more leverage to add privacy protections to FISA, like a warrant requirement, so that this authority won’t be abused. However, Himes instead said “My preference would be, let’s just take the win that’s on the table, get it done in the lame-duck.” Himes also confirmed he is directly advising the Trump administration on undercutting Democrats’ opportunity to control this process.
The following is a statement from Demand Progress Senior Policy Advisor Hajar Hammado:
“Jim Himes has betrayed his own party and the American people. After seeing a blowout election where Americans overwhelmingly rejected Trump and sided with the Democrats, Himes’s first instinct was to urge Republicans to use the little time they have left to hand Donald Trump and Stephen Miller the mass surveillance powers that they're asking for. It’s incredibly telling that Himes fears the idea of his own party having the leverage to stop Trump from bypassing the courts to spy on everyday Americans, and it is shameful he is advising the administration on how to undermine Americans’ privacy. Democrats and Republicans alike must reject Himes’s agenda and oppose any effort to force a FISA renewal through Congress.”
A robust set of resources on the need for privacy reforms for FISA are available here and here, and additional background, context, polling, reform demands, resources and other information is available here.