Nadler: More Oversight Needed for Warrantless Wiretaps
Rep. Jerry Nadler speaks out against a five year extension of the warrantless wiretapping provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The extension fails to provide sufficient opportunity for Congressional oversight of these spy programs, instead giving them a blank check to operate for the next five years. It also fails to include measures that would provide a degree of transparency in the secretive judicial proceedings of the FISA court. When wiretapping without a warrant has the potential to ensnare innocent Americans, more safeguards and oversight are necessary. Failure to ensure that such rights are protected, said Nadler, is a dereliction of Congress' constitutional duty.