A sudden push by Senate Republican leaders to expand FBI surveillance authority is a “fake, knee-jerk solution” that would do nothing to prevent terrorist attacks, a Senate Democrat charged on Tuesday.
“If this proposal passes, FBI agents will be able to demand the records of what websites you look at online, who you email and chat with, and your text message logs, with no judicial oversight whatsoever,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in an afternoon statement.
The criticism came in response to a move late on Monday by Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., attaching the surveillance authority to an annual funding bill for the Commerce and Justice Departments. As a result, the measure is due to come up in the chamber on Wednesday as part of a procedural vote.
The measure would give the FBI authority to use “national security letters” to demand people’s Internet browsing information from Internet companies without a warrant. That information includes metadata, including a user’s location and IP address, as well as a history of Web addresses users have visited.
“The reality is the FBI already has the power to demand these electronic records with a court order under the Patriot Act,” Wyden said. “In emergencies the FBI can even obtain the records right away and go to a judge after the fact. This isn’t about giving law-enforcement new tools, it’s about the FBI not wanting to do paperwork.”
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Wyden criticized the Senate for failing to pass a string of gun control measures proposed earlier in the week, and stressed that the surveillance measure as inapplicable to preventing terrorist attacks. “The Senate rejected measures that would help keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and lone gunmen.
“Instead, Senate Republicans are pushing fake, knee-jerk solutions that will do nothing to prevent mass shootings or terrorist attacks,” Wyden added. “Like so many other proposals this amendment is a lose-lose: It won’t make our country safer, but it will take away crucial checks and balances that protect our freedom.”
