Newly Declassified Documents Reveal CIA’s Secret Bulk Collection Program: Lawmakers

The Epoch Times Header

Newly declassified documents reveal the Central Intelligence Agency’s previously secret bulk collection program and problems with how it searches and handles Americans’ information, according to Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

The two senators sent a letter (pdf) to top intelligence officials in April 2021 calling for more details about the program and for it to be declassified.

Large parts of the letter and documents released by the CIA were declassified Thursday, with large portions redacted.

In their letter, Wyden and Heinrich requested an expedited declassification of a report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) on the alleged CIA bulk collection program.

That report, called “Deep Dive II,” was part of a set of studies by the watchdog board PCLOB scrutinizing intelligence community operations under Executive Order 12333, a document (pdf) signed by former President Reagan in 1981 that governs intelligence community activity.

PCLOB and its staff members have access to the classified information.

Wyden and Heinrich said in their letter that the program operated “outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection” and “without any of the judicial, congressional or even executive branch oversight that comes with FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) collection.”

The senators called for more information on the program to be declassified.

“The CIA has secretly conducted its own bulk program,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. The rest of the line was blacked out.

“This basic fact has been kept from the public and from Congress. Until the PCLOB report was delivered last month, the nature and full extent of the CIA’s collection was withheld even from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,” the senators said.

“Among the many details the public deserves to know are the nature of the CIA’s relationship with its sources and the legal framework for the collection” as well as the amount and kind of records being collected on Americans, Wyden and Heinrich said.

They also called on the agency to declassify information on “the rules governing the use, storage, dissemination and queries (including U.S. person queries) of the records,” stating that all of the above was in the public’s “intense” interest.

The PCLOB report noted problems with the CIA’s handling and searching of Americans’ information under the program.

According to portions of the PCLOB report’s (pdf) recommendations declassified by the CIA, a “pop-up box warns CIA analysts using the program that seeking any information about U.S. citizens or others covered by privacy laws requires a foreign intelligence purpose.”

However, the program does not require analysts to provide a justification for their search, according to the recommendations, which urged the agency to require them to do so.

By Katabella Roberts

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

Wyden and Heinrich: Newly Declassified Documents Reveal Previously Secret CIA Bulk Collection, Problems With CIA Handling of Americans’ Information

Senators Call for Critically Needed Transparency About CIA Bulk Collection; Documents Declassified at Wyden and Heinrich’s Request

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., both members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for new transparency about bulk surveillance conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, following the release of documents that revealed a secret bulk collection program and problems with how the agency searches and handles Americans’ information.

Wyden and Heinrich requested the declassification of a report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on a CIA bulk collection program, in a letter sent April 13, 2021. The letter, which was declassified and made public today reveals that “the CIA has secretly conducted its own bulk program,” authorized under Executive Order 12333, rather than the laws passed by Congress.

The letter notes that the program was “entirely outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection, and without any of the judicial, congressional or even executive branch oversight that comes from [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] collection.” 

“FISA gets all the attention because of the periodic congressional reauthorizations and the release of DOJ, ODNI and FISA Court documents,” said Senators Wyden and Heinrich in response to the newly declassified documents.  “But what these documents demonstrate is that many of the same concerns that Americans have about their privacy and civil liberties also apply to how the CIA collects and handles information under executive order and outside the FISA law.  In particular, these documents reveal serious problems associated with warrantless backdoor searches of Americans, the same issue that has generated bipartisan concern in the FISA context.”

Wyden and Heinrich called for more transparency from the CIA, including what kind of records were collected and the legal framework for the collection. The PCLOB report noted problems with CIA’s handling and searching of Americans’ information under the program.

“While we appreciate the release of the ‘Recommendations from PCLOB Staff’ which highlights problems associated with the handling of Americans’ information, our letter also stressed that the public deserves to know more about the collection of this information.  The DNI and the CIA Director have started this process.  We intend to continue to urge them to achieve the transparency the American people deserve.”

The Wyden-Heinrich letter is here.

A portion of PCLOB’s report on the program was made public here.

###

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Big Tech Liberals are Using AI to Censor Conservatives

The Federal Trade Commission is gathering information to expose how technology platforms have violated the law in censoring Americans.

Unveiled: Gynocrats’ Brave and Stunning Strategy to Woo Back Male Voters

There’s nothing — nothing — that drives Democrats more bananas than...

Ship of Fools

A rudderless ship drifts with currents. A freighter with no pilot is stuck at the dock. Rudderless and stuck are perfect ways to describe the Democrat party.

Wolves Wreak Havoc on Cattle Herds in California

Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking heavy toll on cattle in Nor. CA and Oregon, killing animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and pocketbooks.

Visiting Narnia with an Adult’s Perspective

When you hear the word “Narnia” you might recollect a lion, a witch, and a wardrobe that takes kids into a magical land. Hmm . . . barely the gist of it.

News

Fed’s Powell Says Interest Rate Decisions Will Be ‘Non-Political’ in Meeting With Trump

Fed Res Chair Jerome Powell said decisions on interest rates would remain grounded in economic data and free from political influence.

FBI Director Says ‘Definitive Answer’ Coming on Key Jan. 6 Question

FBI Dir Kash Patel said agency will attempt to produce answer on whether there were FBI agents or sources in crowd at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Tariffs Temporarily Reinstated by Appeals Court, Reversing Lower Court Order

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower-court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s tariffs on a wide range of countries.

DeSantis Signs Gold Money Legislation Into Law

Gov. DeSantis signed “transactional gold” legislation to help Floridians use precious metals in commerce and savings, to protect purchasing power from inflation.

Judge Extends Block on Trump Admin’s Bid to Bar Foreign Students at Harvard

Federal judge will maintain a temporary block she placed on DHS revocation of Harvard’s certification program allowing it to enroll foreign students.

16 States File Lawsuit Against National Science Foundation for Ending DEI Support

Sixteen states are suing the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the agency’s recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Overlooked Chemicals in Food May Threaten Your Health

Scientists are alarmed about threat to public health: synthetic chemicals from packaging and processing equipment contaminating the food supply.

ICE Arrests Illegal Immigrant Who Threatened to Assassinate Trump

Illegal immigrant who allegedly threatened to kill Trump before self-deporting to Mexico has been arrested, according to HS Secretary Kristi Noem.
spot_img

Related Articles