Government Fearmongers About Secret 'Threat' Before Vote on Spying Authorities
Today, one day before the vote to reauthorize the U.S. government’s powerful surveillance authorities, Congress issued a press release warning of “a serious national security threat.”
The statement, issued by House Intelligence Chair Rep. Mike Turner, offered no specifics. Turner has been a vocal supporter for the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) Section 702, which allows the U.S. intelligence community to target foreigners for electronic surveillance without any evidence of probable cause and overseen by a secret court. By my count, Turner has tweeted out support for 702 at least a dozen times in the past year alone.
I wonder if that has anything to do with his decision to apprise us of this ominous threat!
Shortly after Turner’s press release, unnamed sources darkly intoned to CNN that the threat was “very sensitive” and pertained to Russia, and “a destabilizing foreign military capability.” Other reports said that it had to with space. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that he was going to brief Congress on the threat tomorrow — the day of the 702 vote. Sullivan declined to provide any specifics, citing the need to protect “sources and methods.”
This whole episode is a good example of how security theater endemic to the U.S. intelligence community infects national security reporting. All too often national security reporters adopt the same alarmist tones as their super secret sources who, as in the case of Rep. Mike Turner, often have their own agenda.
Please help me push back against agenda-driven national security reporting by becoming a paid subscriber (or unpaid if you’re unable) and by sharing this post. — Ken
Update: ABC News is reporting that the threat is Russia wanting to place a nuclear weapon in space, not to target Earth but rather satellites. Politico reporter Erin Banco tweeted today that the issue is a “longer-term problem” circulating on Capitol Hill for awhile; and that she was “not sure what prompted the Turner statement.”
Why indeed!
I love your new, derisive tone. It's appropriate. These fools should be ridiculed.
American governance has looked like a combination of the 3 stooges meet Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and the clown car. If it wasn’t so dangerous, we’d be rolling with laughter and hilarity in front of our screens. It’s hard to believe these vain people can’t see the reality of themselves the way that we do!