WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The bill passed by Congress vastly expanding government surveillance powers was the result of time pressure and a negotiation breakdown, a report said.
Faced with Bush administration claims of an imminent terrorist threat and the prospect of working during the scheduled August recess, enough Democrats voted with Republicans to pass changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
U.S. intelligence operatives may now legally listen to any communication between foreign nationals that travels through U.S. wires or switches without a warrant, including those between one person overseas and one U.S. citizen.
Intelligence officials said National Security Administration surveillance of phone calls had virtually come to a standstill earlier this year, after a federal judge secretly ruled the 1978 FISA law requires a warrant for spying on all communication that passes through a land line.
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell asked congressional Democrats for virtually unlimited power to listen in on conversations. They balked, especially regarding the right to listen in on U.S. citizens’ conversations on any topic, and talks broke down Aug. 2, just before the scheduled start of recess.
A small number of Democrats voted for the bill to avoid staying in Washington or leaving a security gap unfilled, the Post said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vowed to change the new law as soon as possible.
