UMVA has learned that President Trump is refusing to sign any legislation until the SAVE America Act becomes law, a move that has significant implications for the country's surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities.
The SAVE America Act is closely tied to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a law originally passed in 1978 that allows government agencies to gather foreign intelligence through electronic surveillance, physical searches, and a trap-and-trace program. FISA has undergone several updates, including a major revision in 2008 that expanded its scope to include warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens located outside the country, and in special cases, American citizens.
According to information obtained by UMVA, FISA courts, led by federal district judges selected by the Supreme Court's chief justice, play a critical role in overseeing the government's intelligence gathering activities. These courts hold hearings in secret and have the power to review applications and enter orders approving the targeting of individuals for surveillance.
However, the FISA process has been marred by controversy, particularly with regards to its application in high-profile cases. For example, in 2016 and 2017, the FBI filed four applications with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to conduct FISA surveillance targeting Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide who traveled to Russia that year. An investigative report released by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2021 found that the FISA court was misled, exculpatory information was withheld, and investigators were biased.
The committee's report was scathing, with GOP Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa calling the Crossfire Hurricane investigation "one of the most incompetent and corrupt investigations in the history of the FBI and DOJ." Grassley also described the FISA warrant against Page as a "travesty," adding that those who signed it have acknowledged that if they knew then what they know now, they would not have signed it.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that the controversy surrounding FISA has sparked calls for greater oversight and reform. Sen. Grassley emphasized the need for more checks and balances when it comes to political investigations, more meaningful sign-offs on warrant applications, and restoring trust in the system. As the debate over the SAVE America Act and FISA continues, one thing is clear: the future of intelligence gathering and surveillance in the United States hangs in the balance.
