Don’t Let Washington Spy on U.S. Citizens

Contact Your Elected Officials

The Biden administration is turning the massive powers of the U.S. intelligence community inward, toward the American people. And at the same time, there is an effort among many House Democrats to increase the role of the intelligence community in domestic law enforcement issues. This is all being done under the guise of “domestic violent extremism.”

This dangerous activity raises many important questions. Why is the Intel Committee looking at domestic terrorism with no foreign nexus? Do we think the CIA should be spying on U.S. citizens? Or the National Security Agency?

I believe the answer to these questions is a resounding no. And I believe the American people — Democrat, Republican or independent — feel the same way. That’s why I introduced legislation that would put a wall between U.S. intelligence agencies and U.S. citizens.

This does not mean that I, or any other Republican, do not see a need for both adequate resources and a coordinated federal response to address threats associated with domestic violent extremism. That need absolutely exists, and it needs to be handled by the FBI, state or local law enforcement.

For evidence of that fact, look no further than House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup’s call for the FBI to review its conclusion about the 2017 congressional baseball shooting. Scalise and more than a dozen other House Republicans wrote a letter to the FBI that reads, “We all agree that violent extremism of any kind must be rooted out and addressed by our law enforcement agencies. But we cannot presume to understand the scope of this issue if our law enforcement agencies do not investigate all instances of extremism, regardless of motivating ideology, with equal vigor.”

My colleagues are absolutely right. Domestic violent extremism is a serious issue that demands investigation. They’re also correct in contacting the FBI about this issue. This is a law enforcement activity, so law enforcement is responsible for the investigation. To the extent that it is an intelligence activity, it certainly doesn’t have to do with foreign intelligence.

Still, despite these clear guardrails, the Biden administration changed the National Counterterrorism Center’s guidelines. While it will not “collect” intel on U.S. citizens, it will “receive” intel. This is an obvious play on words with absolutely no distinction at all. This rule, coupled with House Democrats’ obsessive focus on “domestic extremism,” will lead to the monitoring of Americans who have committed no crime.

I believe that whether someone liked an allegedly offensive Facebook post, attended a political rally or watched a certain news program may become the driving force of who is monitored.

And unfortunately, this is not my imagination. Everyone reading this knows that the Obama administration weaponized intelligence agencies against former President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. Former CIA Director John Brennan said that our government needs to be investigating an “unholy alliance” of those who disagree with him politically, including “libertarians.”

This is the fundamental reason why we can’t turn the Intelligence community on American citizens — it is fatal to our freedoms. And preventing that tragedy is the fundamental motivation for my new legislation.

My bill would make two changes to the National Security Act of 1947. First, it would add a new section that explicitly bans the intelligence community from conducting any surveillance activity that is unrelated to foreign intelligence or counterintelligence. Second, it would clarify terms used in the National Security Act to remove ambiguities that are being exploited. Namely, it limits “intelligence” to mean only “foreign intelligence and counterintelligence.”

I encourage all my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, to join my effort in passing this legislation. This is not a partisan issue, and it is one that demands immediate attention.

In the 1960s, the government wassurveilling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was surveilling anti-war protesters. The “domestic terrorism” hearings that we’ve been holding in the House, as well as the directives coming from the White House, are a massive misstep back in the direction of those dark days. My bill is an opportunity to correct course.

This is not a slippery slope — it is the edge of a cliff. If we do not act, it will break the bipartisan consensus supporting the all-important mission of the intelligence community, destroy public trust, and ultimately increase the opportunity for foreign adversaries to divide us. America’s national security is too important to fall victim to partisanship.

By Rep. Chris Stewart

Read Full Article on Stewart.House.gov

Rep. Stewart Introduces the Intelligence Community Authorities Clarification Act

Washington, March 24, 2022 – Today, Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) introduced the Intelligence Community Authorities Clarification Act. The Intelligence Community (IC) – including the CIA, National Security Agency, National Counterterrorism Center and more – is designed to combat foreign adversaries and threats, such as terrorist organizations. Unfortunately, the Biden administration is turning the massive powers of the IC inward, toward the American people.

This legislation will put a wall between U.S. intelligence agencies and U.S. citizens, preventing the IC from spying on Americans.

“I will not allow President Biden to weaponize intelligence agencies against American citizens,” said Rep. Stewart. “I believe that whether someone liked an allegedly offensive Facebook post, attended a political rally, or watched a certain news program may become the driving force of who is targeted and monitored. This is not a slippery slope – it is the edge of a cliff, and it is potentially fatal to our freedoms. If we do not act, it will break the bipartisan consensus supporting the all-important mission of the IC, destroy public trust, and ultimately increase the opportunity for foreign adversaries to divide us. America’s national security is too important to fall victim to partisanship.”

This bill makes two changes to the National Security Act of 1947. First, it will add a new section that explicitly bans the IC from conducting any surveillance activity that is unrelated to foreign intelligence or counterintelligence. Second, it will clarify terms used in the National Security Act to remove ambiguities which have been claimed by certain authorities of the IC. Namely, it limits “intelligence” to mean only “foreign intelligence and counterintelligence.”

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

Why the Trump Administration is Sitting on the Epstein Files

President Trump, AG Bondi, and FBI Dir. Patel have the advantage over us in that they see the big overall picture when it comes to the Epstein List.

Trump’s “Major Statement” On Russia Is A Clumsy Attempt To Thread The Needle

The “major statement” on Russia Trump hyped up turned out to be an attempt to thread the needle between escalating US involvement in Ukrainian and walking away from it.

AI Takes Customer Service from Doublespeak to Triplespeak

Corporations are replacing customer service agents with AI agents. Here's a real-life example of attempting to use AI to have my internet restored.

The Left’s Descent into Extremism  

The political left, from mainstream Dems to radical Antifa, have embraced extremism, alienating swaths of the public and undermining their own influence.

Roger Stone Speaks About Trump at Turning Point USA

Longtime Donald Trump friend, Roger Stone, gave a speech at the 2025 TPUSA convention offering his take on the recent Epstein List controversy.

Border Czar Says Physical Appearance ‘Can’t Be the Sole Reason’ to Detain Someone

Border czar Homan said comments were “taken out of context” and federal immigration enforcement agents can't detain people based on physical appearances alone.

Capacity of US Coal-Fired Power Plants to Fall Over 15 Percent by 2028

Total operating capacity of coal-fired power plants in US is set to drop to 145 GW by end of 2028, a 15% decline from the 172 GW in operation as of May.

Violence Against ICE Escalates Across America

ICE officers face increased confrontation on the street, which crosses the line between free speech and physical violence.

International Buyers Purchased $56 Billion Worth of US Homes in 1 Year

Foreign buyers purchased $56 billion worth of existing homes in the US between April 2024 and March 2025, up by 33.2% from the previous 12 months.

CMS Eyes 3.8 Percent Pay Hike for Doctors, Medicare Cost Cuts, and Chronic Care Expansion

Trump admin plan will save billions on wasteful spending, boost rates for doctors, and modernizing Medicare services, said HHS Sec. RFK, Jr.

DOGE Announces Billions of Dollars in Federal Contracts Terminated

In post on X on July 12, DOGE, stated that “over the last week, agencies terminated 230 wasteful contracts,” resulting in savings of $407 million.

Trump to Announce $70 Billion Energy and Innovation Investment in Pittsburgh

President Trump is meeting with business leaders to discuss how best to meet the energy and computing needs of the future.

Attorney General Pam Bondi Dismisses Justice Department’s Top Ethics Lawyer

AG Pam Bondi terminated the head of the DOJ’s ethics division, according to a letter posted to social media by the fired official.
spot_img

Related Articles