Top Democrat Defends Trump's Expansive Spy Powers: FBI's Patel Not Abusing Them
Congressman Jim Himes is urging colleagues to back the extension of a sweeping surveillance authority, claiming Kash Patel's FBI has not misused the powers, according to internal messaging obtained by WIRED.
Congressman Jim Himes, a top Democrat, is urging his colleagues to support the renewal of a controversial surveillance authority initially expanded under the Trump administration. In internal messaging obtained by WIRED, Himes claims he has not seen any abuses by Kash Patel's FBI, and therefore believes the powers should remain intact.
The surveillance authority in question, known as Section 215 of the Patriot Act, allows the government to collect vast troves of metadata on Americans' communications, including phone records and internet browsing history. Patel, who served as a senior counterterrorism official in the Trump White House, now leads the FBI's national security division.
Source: Wired
