Press Release of James Clapper on Verizon Phone Records

DNI Statement on Activities Authorized Under Section 702 of FISA

Thursday, June 06, 2013

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June 6, 2013

DNI Statement on Activities Authorized Under Section 702 of FISA
The Guardian and The Washington Post articles refer to collection of communications pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  They contain numerous inaccuracies.

Section 702 is a provision of FISA that is designed to facilitate the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning non-U.S. persons located outside the United States.  It cannot be used to intentionally target any U.S. citizen, any other U.S. person, or anyone located within the United States.

Activities authorized by Section 702 are subject to oversight by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Executive Branch, and Congress. They involve extensive procedures, specifically approved by the court, to ensure that only non-U.S. persons outside the U.S. are targeted, and that minimize the acquisition, retention and dissemination of incidentally acquired information about U.S. persons.

Section 702 was recently reauthorized by Congress after extensive hearings and debate.
  
Information collected under this program is among the most important and valuable foreign intelligence information we collect, and is used to protect our nation from a wide variety of threats. 

The unauthorized disclosure of information about this important and entirely legal program is reprehensible and risks important protections for the security of Americans.


James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence 

These are the People Protecting Us?

This is scary on many levels.  Our Director of National Intelligence didn't know that there were terrorist arrests made in London before I did.  Now, I don't expect him to take every phone call or read every memo himself, but what type of staff does this man have?  Didn't anyone in his office feel that this was important information for him to have?  If they didn't have this information why not? 

The United Kingdom is one of our closest allies, if they didn't contact us with the information of the threat, shouldn't we be asking why not?  While it is perfectly understandable that the British may not have called before the arrests for the element of surprise, but surely after the arrests the information would be shared.  After all, the media had the information. 

The White House then comes out with the reasoning that we should be glad that he isn't watching television all day and doing his work.  Really?  I should be reassured that this man hasn't a clue of what is going on across the pond? 

Clapper's office has released a new statement:

Clapper, she explained, had been “working throughout the day on important intelligence matters, including monitoring military and political developments on the Korean Peninsula, providing answers to questions concerning the ratification of the START nuclear treaty, and other classified issues. He wasn’t immediately briefed on London because it didn’t appear to have a homeland nexus and there was no immediate action by the DNI required. Nevertheless, he should have been briefed on the arrests, and steps have been taken to ensure that he is in the future. The intelligence community as a whole was fully aware of this development and tracking it closely.”

Well, this makes me feel much better.  How about you?