Sam Sacks - page 25

At a Senate hearing convened on Tuesday by former GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a witness accused two Members of Congress of having connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. The charges were leveled against Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Andre Carson (D-Ind.), the only two Muslims serving in the House. First reported by the Huffington Post, Chris Gaubatz—a so-called national security consultant—testified that the lawmakers had spoken at a convention in 2008 sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). He claimed that… Keep Reading

An annual intelligence policy bill is being held up in the Senate over a provision it contains that would allow the government to monitor more online interactions without a warrant. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) placed a hold on the intelligence authorization bill Monday evening, preventing the upper chamber from passing the legislation by unanimous consent. He suggested that Senators were exploiting the mass shooting in Orlando earlier this month to jam through an expansion of surveillance powers. “The American people want policies that protect their… Keep Reading

While the debate over keeping firearms out of the hands of suspected terrorists rages within the halls of Congress, a new report reveals that the CIA allowed millions of dollars worth of weaponry to fall into the hands of weapons smugglers and criminal gangs in Jordan. Arms shipments brokered by the agency for Syrian rebels were pilfered by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold on the black market, a joint investigation by The New York Times and Al Jazeera has found. Investigators believe that some of… Keep Reading

Democratic lawmakers ended their more than 24-hour sit-in on the House floor Thursday, but promised that agitation for a gun control measure will continue. Seizing on the mass shooting in Orlando, which killed 49 patrons at a gay nightclub, Democrats are demanding votes on two bills to restrict firearms purchases—including one measure that would bolster Bush-era surveillance initiatives. “Let me be really clear about this. We cannot stop until we get a bill, until a law is passed,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters on… Keep Reading

In a narrow vote on Wednesday, the upper chamber rejected a measure that would have allowed federal authorities to obtain online metadata using specialized national security state subpoenas. The amendment was introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to a Justice Department appropriations bill. Though it was supported by a bipartisan group of 58 senators,  it failed to attain the sixty votes it needed to advance. Heavily lobbied for by the FBI, the measure would have allowed the bureau to use National Security Letters (NSL) to… Keep Reading

The President and his top lawyer are in disagreement over a proposal to tweak US criminal procedure to facilitate the closure of the military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has twice objected to attempts by the White House to allow Gitmo detainees to plead guilty in US courts via video conference, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. President Obama ultimately decided not to overrule the Justice Department. Current law prohibits the 80 detainees remaining at the prison to step foot within the… Keep Reading

A policy rider that would expand the type of information the FBI can collect without a warrant has attached itself to legislation for the third time in less than a month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) introduced the measure on Monday night as an amendment to the Commerce and Justice Departments’ spending bill, which the upper chamber is considering this week. If enacted, federal authorities would be able to use so-called National Security Letters (NSL) to collect internet browsing history, IP addresses and other sensitive… Keep Reading

The transcript of a 911 call between the Orlando shooter and authorities during last week’s massacre was released on Monday by the Department of Justice, with significant details omitted. The record of the approximately 50-second exchange includes Omar Mateen admitting to the rampage, telling a dispatcher over the phone, “I did the shooting.” The portion of the conversation in which Mateen pledges allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization, however, was redacted by the Justice Department. Reacting to the release, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan… Keep Reading