(The Epoch Times)—President Donald Trump on Sunday said that he wants Congress to pass an election security bill as part of extending a key section of a surveillance law that lapsed last week.
Trump said in a Truth Social said that some Democrats will continue to oppose renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—which lapsed on June 12 after Congress failed to reach a deal—regardless of who he chooses to head the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
“Besides, I’m against FISA if it doesn’t come with The Save America Act (Full version!) firmly attached to it,” he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday, referring to a bill designed combat voter fraud that has stalled in the Senate.
Trump last month announced he would select federal housing official Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence after director Tulsi Gabbard, announced she would be stepping down to be with her husband, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Last week, Trump nominated U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton to serve as his permanent intelligence director.
The SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, also called the SAVE America Act, is aimed at requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. It passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year but hasn’t moved forward in the Republican-controlled Senate after four Republicans—Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (N.C.), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)—voted with Democrats to block the measure.
Section 702 of FISA allows agencies such as the CIA, the National Security Agency, and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant. While members of both parties who cite privacy issues related to incidental collection of data on Americans have long wanted to limit its authority, there has historically been bipartisan support to renew it.
In a separate post on Sunday, Trump questioned why Democrats “are so afraid of Bill Pulte” as the temporary head of the ODNI. “He would only be Acting! What do they have to be afraid of, what are they hiding? There must be something BIG, mustn’t there?” he asked.
Some Democrats have explicitly said they would not extend the FISA section because of Pulte’s selection as acting intelligence chief. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said last week that “Pulte has to go,“ adding, ”He cannot be in the DNI role. It’s too important.”
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal earlier in June, Trump said he wanted Pulte to reduce the number of employees in the ODNI, noting holdovers from previous administrations. Pulte, who currently serves as the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is due to take the temporary ODNI role in late June, Trump has said.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that the terrorism threat level in the Untied States is at an all-time high due to celebrations around the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding alongside America’s hosting the FIFA World Cup.
“When I say we arrest terrorists every single week, I’m not exaggerating. Those aren’t the individuals that are coming across our border, those are individuals that are still inside this country,” Mullin told the outlet, adding that the U.S. threat level is “the highest it’s ever been.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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