The Department of Justice Inspector General admitted the FBI had conducted 3.4 million warrantless backdoor searches, and a million were in error. During the ‘Fixing FISA’ hearing this week, Mr. Gaetz interviewed Mr. Horowitz about the continuing shortcomings of FISA. Mr. Horowitz couldn’t give a good answer.
Under FISA Section 702, intel agencies have the authority to conduct targeted surveillance on non-US individuals outside the country. However, agents are misusing their power. A stunning 3.4 million searches of Americans took place in 2021 without warrants.
“I want to get into the 3.4 million backdoor searches that the ranking member pointed out in his opening statement. Mr. Inspector General. How should the public think about those?” asked Gaetz.
“Well, I think what we’ve seen in the various public reports, and I’m limited in what I can say about what’s public, which I think is one of the issues, by the way, that’s worth talking about, is transparency here,” said General Michael Horowitz.
“Um, it’s obviously very concerning that there’s that volume of searches and particularly concerning the error rate that was reported on in the last two years in the public reporting,” said Horwitz.
The error rate is 30% or over 1,000,000 searches.
More than 10,000 government workers can conduct backdoor surveillance on Americans.
Some Republicans have objected to reauthorizing FISA, but not enough. It operates outside the Constitution.
Earlier this year, Mr. Gaetz talked about abolishing agencies that don’t come “to heel.”
BREAKING: DOJ Inspector General ADMITS that the FBI has done 3.4 million warrantless “backdoor searches!”
Over a MILLION of which were in error. pic.twitter.com/t9VcVp4iYx
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) April 27, 2023
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