Garland Says FBI Needs Spying Powers to ‘Fight the Chinese’

Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the FBI’s usage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), saying that the surveillance apparatus is critical to “fight the Chinese.”
Garland made the comments during a March 29 appearance before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. He came to Capitol Hill to discuss the Department of Justice (DOJ) side of President Joe Biden’s proposed budget.
During the hearing, Garland defended the FBI’s use of FISA Section 702, a post-9/11 section of U.S. Code that is controversial for its wide-ranging application in surveilling American citizens. A court-ordered report found that the FBI had used that controversial section of U.S. law to illegally spy on over 3.3 million Americans without a warrant, including an unnamed sitting member of Congress….}