Wyden Releases Coats Letter Demuring Releasing Data on Collecting Americans' Communications
Director of National Security Dan Coats said releasing information about collection of Americans' communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act "would cause serious damage to national security," in a Sept. 1 letter to Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who…
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released it Tuesday. Coats said he provided a "comprehensive classified response on July 24," which discussed why it "is properly classified and cannot be publicly released." Wyden now said he asked Coats a question at a June hearing regarding "a simple, yes-or-no question: Can the government use FISA Act Section 702 to collect communications it knows are entirely domestic?" Wyden said Coats answered the question, but later his press office told reporters the intelligence director was answering a different question. Coats' refusal should "set off alarms. How can Congress reauthorize this surveillance when the administration is playing games with basic questions about this program?" said Wyden. The senator wants the intelligence community to provide data on how many Americans' communications are swept up under 702, which forbids such collection (see 1706070047). The Office of the DNI didn't comment.