This whole thing was a shit show. Very happy Restore the Fourth signed the open letter calling for House Intelligence chair to step down. https://www.freedomworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Turn...

And the reason the spooks and their apologists on the HPSCI are so freaked out? because they don't want to have to go to a judge to get Americans data. They would rather secretly buy that data from data brokers.

There's always a new boogeyman they can trot out to protect the status quo, and this entire gauntlet felt contrived. "Oh no, new Russian threat! Looks like we need new powers again!"

Its less "Looks like we need new powers again!"

and more "Please dont take away our post-9/11 powers (702), and not because we forgot how to do our jobs without them we actually do need them for realz!"

See also the terrible op-ed by ex head of NSA in washignton post. https://archive.ph/WfvtR

This isn't a new boogeyman but recycling an older one. There are some on the right that are worried about nuke in space producing EMP that cripples the US. The suspects used to be China, North Korea, or terrorists. Russia is new threat.

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