During his confirmation hearing, Kash Patel, nominee to lead the FBI, stated that proposed reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits warrantless data collection, would conflict with legal requirements necessary for national security. Although civil liberties advocates seek stronger protections for U.S. citizens against unwarranted surveillance, Patel claims that without these measures, critical operations like hostage rescues could be jeopardized. He acknowledged past abuses of the statute by government officials but remains resistant to warrant mandates that he believes would hinder intelligence efforts.
"The issue, for me, is not with FISA and 702, the issue has been those that have been in government service and abused it in the past."
"Having a warrant requirement to go through that information in real time is just not comported with the requirement to protect American citizenry."
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