Kash Patel closes watchdog that oversees surveillance of his own department: report
FBI director Kash Patel has closed an internal watchdog office tasked with ensuring compliance with surveillance rules.
Patel helped spur the creation of the Office of Internal Auditing he's now closing when he attacked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, applications seeking court permission to wiretap a former Donald Trump campaign adviser during he Russia investigation, and his latest move comes as Congress considers whether to reauthorize a high-profile warrantless wiretapping law, reported the New York Times.
"The move is significant because it could give skeptics of the program new ammunition to argue that Congress should sharply curtail the law or even let it expire given that a guardrail has been discarded," the Times reported. "It also poses a crucial test for Mr. Patel, who rose in pro-Trump circles by attacking the F.B.I. over its abuses of the surveillance law but said during his confirmation hearing that he saw the program as a vital tool for gathering foreign intelligence and protecting national security."
Many of the claims Patel made as a congressional staffer in 2018 about FISA proved to be false or misleading, but an inspector general found different problems in the FBI's application process during the Russia probe in a follow-up audit in 2019, and the following year then-attorney general William Barr and then-FBI director Christopher Wray established the stand-alone Office of Internal Auditing.
"The F.B.I. did not comment," the Times reported. "But the closure was part of a larger reorganization, according to people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. The functions of the office, along with another, the Office of Integrity and Compliance, which helps ensure that employees comply with laws, regulations and policies in general, have been absorbed by the inspection division."
FISA was enacted in 1978 and requires the FBI to obtain warrants from a special court to conduct surveillance against suspected spies or terrorists on U.S. soil, and Congress added the Section 702 exception in 2008 allowing the government to collect communications of foreigners abroad without court orders, even when those targets are communicating with Americans.
Patel harshly criticized the bureau's use of the 702 exception during Wray's tenure, although the Times noted that some of his evidence was inaccurate, but he expressed general support for Section 702 during his confirmation hearings in January and said he would go further to ensure public trust as director.
“702 is a critical tool, and I’m proud of the reforms that have been implemented and I’m proud to work with Congress moving forward to implement more reforms,” he said at the time.
‘That’s my question!’ CNN host frustrated as guest rattles off GOP soundbites
CNN anchor Brianna Keilar pressed Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) over the issue of a proposed a Medicaid work requirement as Republican lawmakers consider making cuts to pay for President Donald Trump's mega spending bill.
Trump met with Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday to motivate them to iron out their differences over the bill since he can only afford to lose three GOP votes in order to pass it.
Keilar noted that almost 140,000 of Patronis's constituents received Medicaid, which worked out to "roughly one out of every six people."
She asked if any of them would "lose Medicaid coverage" if the new work requirement for "able-bodied" people went into effect before 2029, as the congressman preferred. And she asked for clarification on who constituted an "able-bodied" person.
"For example, should a young adult male in your district who is in the throes of addiction be expected to meet those requirements while in rehab?" Keilar asked.
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"Right now, a young adult male in the state of Florida is not eligible for Medicaid unless he's disabled or has some other type of disability that's given that pathway," Patronis answered.
"Well, I'm asking if he should be eligible, facing a medical issue like that," Keilar said.
"So, that individual does not have access to expanded guaranteed Medicaid health benefits if he's an able-bodied male, because it's not part of Florida's acceptance into that program," Patronis answered.
Keilar then asked about the nation as a whole, not just Florida.
Patronis said, "When you've got able-bodied males that have the ability to go out and seek employment in order to maybe secure health insurance to the private sector, that frees up dollars for disabled, for elderly, for women. So again —"
Keilar interrupted, "Is that person abled-bodied, though? Sir, that's my question! But, congressman, that's my question. Is that an able-bodied person, someone who is in rehab dealing with addiction?"
After a lengthy debate, Patronis concluded, "I definitely want to make sure that the elderly or seniors are women or children — that they always have a robust safety net that always takes care of them. That is the purpose of Medicaid."
