Trump's Bill Pulte Pick Jeopardizes 3-Year FISA Renewal Before June 12 Deadline
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 3
Trump's Bill Pulte Pick Jeopardizes 3-Year FISA Renewal Before June 12 Deadline
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 3
Summary
Bill Pulte’s selection as acting director of national intelligence has rattled bipartisan talks on renewing Section 702, with lawmakers warning it could sink a deal before the June 12 expiration.
Democrats led by Hakeem Jeffries and Mark Warner said Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience and record of targeting Trump’s perceived enemies make it harder to trust the administration with surveillance powers.
Senate Republicans had been circulating a three-year extension and hoped to start procedural votes before the weekend, but even key Republicans voiced doubts; two senior GOP aides said Pulte could not win Senate confirmation.
The draft renewal already faced resistance because it omits privacy hawks’ demands for a warrant to search Americans’ data and to bar warrantless purchases of brokered personal information, though it adds new guardrails and a three-year CBDC ban.