Himes Urges Quick Renewal of Section 702 Spy Law, Vows Tougher Intelligence Oversight

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, urged Republicans this week to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during the lame-duck session, before Democrats take control of Congress. Section 702 lets intelligence agencies collect electronic communications of people outside the US without a warrant. It lapsed June 12 after Democrats voted against reauthorization, in retaliation for Bill Pulte's temporary appointment as director of national intelligence before the Senate confirmed Jay Clayton. Himes said he spoke with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and would prefer to "take the win," with a fallback of acting in the first quarter, when he said a very different version would pass. Seven Republicans, including Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Josh Hawley, voted against renewal on June 5, with Lee demanding a warrant requirement. Himes also said he plans aggressive oversight of the CIA, citing expanded covert action in Mexico, Latin America and cyberspace and the firing of hundreds of longtime officials. He said investigations would examine whether people were fired for contradicting what the president wanted to be true. Congress also plans to look at 11 or more suicides at US cyber agencies this year, Bloomberg reported.

The Daily Caller (right) leads with Himes pushing GOP leadership to renew what it calls a warrantless spying tool. It cites Politico, Thune, the June 12 lapse, the Pulte dispute and the Republican holdouts, and says the law allows Americans' data to be searched without a warrant. Mother Jones (left) opens on the same push but frames it through civil-liberties groups, calls Himes an intelligence hawk, and recalls that he once called Trump a "dictator." Its opening does not mention the Pulte dispute. The Washington Post (left) instead leads with Himes's plan for aggressive CIA oversight. Both sides agree on the core fact of Himes's lame-duck appeal. Semafor (alternative) is closest to the Post, adding the firings and suicides.