Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) called on senators to pass legislation reauthorizing a key FISA surveillance authority ahead of Friday's deadline, criticizing Democrats for withholding support over President Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
"Democrats have every right to disagree with the president's choice for this position, no matter how short-term the appointment is likely to be," he said Tuesday. "But I invite my Democrat colleagues to think about what they're doing here in holding this vital intelligence collection program hostage."
Sen. Thune argued that failing to reauthorize the controversial Section 702 program — which allows the government to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign targets outside the U.S. — could significantly harm national security.
"In four days, the Section 702 program will go dark.
America's enemies, however, will not," he warned.
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