An Arizona congressman is asking the FBI director if the agency is mining data from spying on foreign nationals for mentions of U.S. lawmakers, political candidates and party officials.
In a letter sent this week, Rep. Andy Biggs said he wants answers by early March.
It is legal for the FBI to intercept communications by foreign nationals not in the U.S. when agents have a warrant authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
FISA, as it’s known, is controversial and set to expire soon without congressional reauthorization.
Biggs voted against it in 2017. Now he wants the FBI to explain FISA database searches mentioned in a declassified audit for local political party names and an unidentified Congressman.
Biggs is asking if the queried Congressman has been told his name was searched, and if those who did the searches were punished.
The FBI did not comment.
