Fmr AG Barr: Trump’s Push to Kill FISA ‘Crazy, Reckless’

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Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump’s push for Congress to kill the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is “crazy and reckless,” adding there will be “blood on people’s hands” if the intelligence community’s surveillance authority expires and a terrorist attack occurs in the United States.

“I think it’s crazy and reckless to not move forward with FISA. It’s our principal tool protecting us from terrorist attacks. We’re living through a time where those threats have never been higher, so it’s blinding us; it’s blinding our allies,” Barr told The Hill. “I think President Trump’s opposition seems to have stemmed from personal pique rather than any logic and reason. The provision that he objects to has nothing to do with the provision that’s on the floor.”

Legislation that would reauthorize Section 702 of FISA was stalled in the House on Wednesday after 19 Republicans joined Democrats and voted to defeat a rule to move it forward, The New York Times reported.

“KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

However, Barr said that “the part of FISA that was abused during Russiagate had to do with getting wiretaps for American citizens, and that’s not what’s being considered. This is our ability to exploit foreign communications, and there are no Fourth Amendment issues with respect to the collection of this information.”

“I believe this will result in attacks on the United States we’re not able to intercept,” he added.

“I think that is improper because this is protecting the national security, and the objections he has to Section 1 don’t apply here,” Barr said. “I hope for Republicans’ sake that there are no attacks; because if there are, I think there will be blood on people’s hands for doing this. It’s reckless.”