Russiagate hoaxers beg Congress to preserve intelligence agencies' ability to spy on Americans without warrants

Former intelligence officials among the cabal of Russiagate hoaxers who sought to discredit the New York Post's damning Hunter Biden laptop story ahead of the 2020 election are now begging Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The former officials' history of misleading the American people has prompted critics to doubt the value of their latest recommendation.

On Monday, 46 former intelligence officials signed a letter to the House speaker, majority leader, and minority leader, pleading for them to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Additionally, they denounced Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs' Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, which would reform Section 702 and require a warrant for all U.S. person searches.

Section 702 of FISA enables the government to spy on non-Americans without first obtaining a warrant. The FBI admitted earlier this year to using Section 702 to target American citizens roughly 278,000 times in 2021 alone. This law was also exploited by the FBI to spy on members of the Trump campaign in 2016 without probable cause.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) indicated in a Blaze News piece this week that "backdoor searches under FISA 702 are carried out without any of the safeguards created to protect life, liberty, and property from the kind of harm that an unrestrained government is uniquely capable of inflicting."

Among the signatories of the Dec. 11 letter calling for the renewal of Section 702 through the National Defense Authorization Act were:

• James Clapper, former director of national intelligence under Obama;
• Glenn S. Gerstell, former general counsel for the National Security Agency;
• Richard H. Ledgett Jr., former deputy director of the NSA;
• Jeremy Bash, the former chief of staff both of the CIA and the Department of Defense; and
• Michael Morell, former acting director of the CIA.

These individuals also happened to sign the Oct. 19, 2020, letter entitled, "Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails."

Their 2020 letter asserted that the Hunter Biden laptop story and the evidence it discussed were likely all an utter fabrication — that the story had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."

While willing to admit in the letter to not knowing whether the Hunter Biden emails provided to the New York Post were "genuine" and having no "evidence of Russian involvement," Clapper and his cosignatories suggested a "laptop op" designed "to discredit Biden ... would be consistent with some of the key methods Russia has used in its now multi-year operation to interfere in our democracy."

Then-candidate Joe Biden used the misleading letter to great effect, referencing it in the final presidential debate with former President Donald Trump on Oct. 22, 2020.

Contrary to the expert opinion of the intelligence partisans, the Hunter Biden laptop and its contents — allegedly verified by the FBI as early as 2019 — were ultimately recognized by the Washington Post, New York Times, and other mainstream outfits as real and as the property of the first son. However, this inadvertent acknowledgment that the former intelligence officials were hacks did not occur until well after Biden secured the White House.

While five of the Russiagate hoaxers, evidently unashamed of their last epistolary collaboration, certainly signed the pro-FISA imploration to Congress, there may be greater overlap among the signatories, as the infamous "intel" letter was also supported by nine unnamed former intelligence community officers.

Their Dec. 11 letter asserts that "Section 702 saves American lives and helps keep Americans safe from international terrorist attacks, foreign cyberattacks, overseas fentanyl suppliers, and other threats to our national security."

The letter denounces Biggs' proposed reforms to Section 702, suggesting they would "prohibit queries that have kept our nation safe"; "undermine cybersecurity efforts"; and grant "unprecedented rights to foreigners."

The Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act, introduced on Dec. 4, has strong bipartisan support.

"Substantial reforms to FISA are long overdue, and we commend Chairman Biggs for his steadfast commitment to reining in unchecked surveillance of Americans," said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) said, "No government agency or surveillance program is free to evade the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, and Section 702 as it currently exists does just that. This sweeping, bipartisan package of reforms aims to bring these programs back in line with our values and also keep Americans safe from those who seek to do us harm."

"This legislation prohibits the government from purchasing Americans' data from big tech companies without a search warrant and adds needed warrant requirements to Section 702 of FISA. Our Constitution is not for sale and the right to privacy must be protected," said Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio).

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