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House Judiciary Committee to Examine Intelligence Gathering Program

February 22, 2017
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire at the end of the year. FISA Section 702 is a statute that allows the government to target the communications, such as emails or phone calls, of foreigners outside of the United States in order to collect information on foreign terrorists seeking to harm the United States. The statute prohibits the government from targeting the communications of U.S. citizens. The National Security Agency has stated that FISA Section 702 is the most important legal authority to disrupt terrorist attacks. While federal courts and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board have continually found FISA Section 702 legal, concerns have been raised that the law does not adequately protect Americans’ privacy. The first portion of the hearing is classified and is not open to the public. Witnesses for the classified part of the hearing will consist of representatives from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Following the classified portion of the hearing, the House Judiciary Committee will open up the hearing to the public. Witnesses for the public portion of the hearing are:
  • Mr. Jeff Kosseff, Assistant Professor, Cyber Science Department, United States Naval Academy
  • Ms. April Doss, Partner, Saul Ewing
  • Ms. Elizabeth Goitein, Co-Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law
  • Mr. Adam Klein, Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below in advance of this hearing. Chairman Goodlatte: “With Section 702 set to expire at the end of the year, the House Judiciary Committee will work in a bipartisan fashion to reauthorize and reform this intelligence gathering program to ensure that it continues to be a critical tool to thwart terrorist attacks and that it best protects Americans’ civil liberties. The first part of this process is gathering the facts, and the Committee will do so next week. We will hear from government officials, legal and policy experts, and privacy advocates regarding how the program is currently operating, so that we can best determine what steps might be needed to improve the program.” This hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.  Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.

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