Senate panel heads back reauthorizing intel law
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The chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee is making a pitch for the reauthorization of a law governing the collection of foreign intelligence, saying it's critical to monitoring militants, potential terror threats and is subject to multiple layers of oversight.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., says he understands that Americans' communications often are swept up in the process, but that now is not a time to roll back the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expires at the end of the year.
The panel's ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, also lauded the law. But he used the hearing to raise concerns about reports that President Donald Trump asked top intelligence and law enforcement authorities to "publicly downplay" the investigation into Russian activities and contacts with the Trump campaign during last year's election.
