FBI slams 'false and insulting' claim it urged more warrantless wiretaps on Americans
Fox News
The FBI pushed back on a report that said a top official at the law enforcement agency had encouraged employees to engage in more warrantless wiretapping on U.S. soil.
At the heart of the issue is the FBI's use of – and its directions to employees about – the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). A Wired report on Wednesday quoted an April email sent out to employees about Section 702 by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, including a portion in which Abbate encouraged employees "to continue to look for ways to appropriately use US person queries to advance the mission."
While the section of Abbate’s email released by Wired emphasized the need for employees to use the tools "properly and in compliance with legal requirements" and to make sure queries into U.S. persons are "fully compliant with the law," it also appeared to urge more frequent use of the program, arguing that doing so will "continue to demonstrate why tools like this are essential to our mission."