Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today led members in sending a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey demanding explanations to recent reports that the Bureau used aircraft for secret surveillance missions over several U.S. cities.

“Some of these aircraft were reported to be equipped with advanced surveillance devices that can pick up data from thousands of cell phones and capture high-definition images,” the letter states. “The possibility that that these surveillance activities are being approved without clear guidelines or judicial oversight to protect Americans from warrantless intrusions of their privacy is highly concerning.”

The letter asks for a briefing from the FBI to help answer several questions including what legal justification was used to create and operate such a program and how warrants are sought and obtained.

Reps. Ted Deutch, Zoe Lofgren, David Cicilline, Hakeem Jeffries, John Conyers, Jr., Cedric Richmond, Judy Chu, Scott Peters, Karen Bass, Chris Van Hollen, Steve Cohen, Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson, John Yarmuth, and Sheila Jackson Lee joined DelBene in sending the letter. The full text can be found HERE.

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