Controversial Spy Law Passes House After Shots From Trump, Who Then Supported It

A controversial spying law survived in the House after a kerfuffle on Thursday when President Trump took aim at the bill despite his administration's formal support for it.

The House voted to reauthorize snooping provisions known by the Capitol Hill shorthand "Section 702," which are due to expire next week, and to extend the authority for six more years. The Senate would need to vote next in order to preserve them.

The White House supports reauthorization, but Trump escalated the intermittent war with his intelligence agencies on Thursday in a series of Twitter posts that threatened to torpedo the vote.

The controversial law permits U.S. intelligence to surveil Americans without a warrant when they are detected talking with foreigners overseas who were under surveillance.

But that law has become tangled up in the sprawling political imbroglio over Russia's attack on the 2016 election, and Trump resurrected charges that it might have been used to snoop on him. 

The laws of spying
The U.S. intelligence law under which surveillance warrants are issued is different from Section 702. That law, from the FISA Amendments Act, addresses how U.S. spies collect information on foreigners overseas. If the National Security Agency is monitoring a Russian spy within Russia and he gets a call from an American, Section 702 permits U.S. intelligence officers to continue listening without asking a judge for a warrant.

Intelligence community bosses say this capability is an essential part of protecting the U.S. against terrorists and foreign spies. Those officials have broken their traditional wall of silence in order to openly talk with journalists and members of Congress about how important they consider it.

The practice of the U.S. government listening to Americans without a warrant remains controversial. The House voted on, but rejected, a measure on Thursday that would have taken away some of the power that intelligence agencies now enjoy. Section 702 may face other challenges in the Senate.

The practice of the U.S. government listening to Americans without a warrant remains controversial. The House voted on, but rejected, a measure on Thursday that would have taken away some of the power that intelligence agencies now enjoy. Section 702 may face other challenges in the Senate.

For the record, Trump's administration supports full reauthorization. In fact, the White House issued a statement on Wednesday evening — hours before Trump's tweet — restating its call for members of Congress to vote for its continued use. - More, NPR

Controversial Spy Law Passes House After Shots From Trump, Who Then Supported It

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