Trump's intelligence chief pick puts surveillance program renewal in doubt
Democrats say appointment of Bill Pulte could doom bipartisan agreement to renew section 702 of Fisa
TL;DR
- Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte, with no intelligence experience, as acting director of national intelligence.
- This appointment jeopardizes bipartisan efforts to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), which expires next week.
- Democrats, including Senator Mark Warner, have stated that Pulte's lack of experience and potential for misuse of power could doom the renewal deal.
- Section 702 allows warrantless collection of foreign communications, but has faced criticism for potentially sweeping up domestic data.
- Concerns exist that Pulte might use the intelligence community to target political opponents, referencing past allegations at the FHFA.
- Some Republicans, like Senator Mitch McConnell, have also expressed skepticism about Pulte's qualifications for the role.
- A proposed bill to extend Section 702 includes new penalties for intelligence abuses and FBI search requirements.