Jim Jordan on FISA reform: Constitutional rights of American citizens at stake
Congressman Jim Jordan discusses the push for FISA reform and what's at stake for American citizens
After President Trump nominated Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to serve as director of national intelligence, Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan said on Tuesday that Democrats are “scared,” especially while proposed reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) are considered.
In an appearance on “America’s Newsroom,” the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee stressed that “reform” of FISA was “paramount” and that Republicans do not want “reauthorization.”
“In summer 2016, the FBI launches an investigation and spies on four American citizens associated with the president’s campaign and, to make matters worse, they further spied on them by going to the FISA court to spy on [ the former Trump campaign aide] Carter Page and they lied to the court 17 times,” Jordan said.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FACING CHALLENGE AS FISA COMES UP FOR RENEWAL
His comments came after a meeting on FISA reforms between Attorney General William Barr and Senate Republicans.
The program dates back to the mid-1970s. The measure allows the government to wiretap and electronically skim information between foreign entities and those inside the U.S. in order to combat terrorism. Congress approved the Patriot Act after 9/11, substantially amending the FISA program.
But now, FISA is up for renewal on March 15. Republicans and the Trump administration have a challenge in front of them. They routinely express concern about FISA and domestic intelligence after the process ran amok during the 2016 presidential campaign. Yet many lawmakers from both parties are worried about renewing the program to protect the nation.
A report late last year by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz bore that out. Horowitz explored how a broad FISA warrant focused on Page. Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray argue the FISA program wasn’t designed to target someone like Page – but did.
Jordan said that Ratcliffe identified issues with the FISA process “three years ago” and got pushback from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and then-FBI Director James Comey.
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“I think they’re scared [Ratcliffe] is going to clean FISA up,” Jordan said.
“It also shows that Adam Schiff was wrong and they don’t like the fact that Adam Schiff was wrong and John Ratcliffe was right. We now know we were vindicated, we were right because of [the Horowitz report]," Jordan said.
“It was John Ratcliffe and a handful of others who saw this and called it out so no wonder the Democrats don’t want him to be nominated as the head of DNI, but he’s the right one for the job.”
Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
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