Not Renewing Surveillance Power Could Be ‘One of the Worst Intelligence Failures of Our Time’: White House

Failure to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) could constitute “one of the worst intelligence failures of our time,” according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on June 26, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Failure to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) could constitute “one of the worst intelligence failures of our time,” according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was enacted by Congress in 2008 as a measure to bulk up U.S. national security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The provision allows intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreigners located outside the United States.