US senator subjected to improper probe on foreign intel database: Declassified court order

By Tugcenur Akgun

NEW YORK (AA) — FBI analysts ran improper searches on a US senator and two state officials using a foreign intelligence database, according to a declassified court opinion released Friday.

According to an April 2023 opinion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), which oversees the FBI's surveillance authority known as Section 702, the FBI ran searches using the last names of a US senator and state senator "targeted by a foreign intelligence service," which violated investigation standards.

It also said the FBI conducted inquiries about a police officer using the social security number of a state judge who filed a complaint with the FBI, which also did not meet standards.

It called for intelligence agencies to strengthen their surveillance mechanisms.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), enacted in 2008, gives broad powers to intelligence forces and authorizes American intelligence to monitor non-US citizens abroad.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Section 702 is the cornerstone of US national security and that the administration of President Joe Biden supported it.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar