Trump-era grievances are putting FBI eavesdropping law at threat: report

Grievances left over from the Donald Trump presidency continue to poison the relationship between House Republicans and the FBI as Congress considers whether to renew a controversial surveillance program.

The House GOP disdains the bureau over its search of the former president's home last year and its Russia investigation, and Republican lawmakers aren't too enthusiastic about extending the program known as Section 702 that the FBI maintains is essential to preserving national security, reported Politico.

The law is meant to make it easier for the nation's intelligence forces to monitor foreign activity. But it also makes it easier to eavesdrop on Americans. The law is set to expire at the end of the year if no action is taken.

“The FBI is absolutely the problem child in FISA and 702," said House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Turner (R-OH). The abuses are abhorrent. Director [Christopher] Wray is not a compelling advocate for FISA or 702, because he’s not been a compelling advocate for reform."

Some Republicans support extending the program with some reforms, but they warned attorney general Merrick Garland not to take an active role in discussions as Bill Barr had in 2020, when he led the Justice Department.

“Bill Barr among Republicans is very different than Merrick Garland," said a GOP lawmaker who supports extending the program with reforms.

Lawmakers seem resigned to missing the Dec. 31 deadline to renew the warrantless surveillance program but are working to create a backup plan to avoid a lapse, and House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) could inflame tension between House Republicans and the Department of Justice by calling Wray and Garland to testify before his panel.

“When Jim Jordan is out there talking about cutting the funding for the FBI, you know, and there’s … intense skepticism about the FBI, I’m not sure that the right first step for my Republican colleagues is to spend a lot of time with the leadership of the FBI,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.