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There exists within the statute a potential that allows for domestic spying on political opponents similar to the abuses which toppled President [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>[http://lawnewz.com/opinion/sally-yates-should-be-investigated-for-her-possible-role-in-watergate-style-surveillance/ Sally Yates Should Be Investigated For Her Possible Role in Watergate-Style Surveillance], by Robert Barnes, February 15th, 2017</ref> Such abuses, and more,<ref>[http://www.gopbuzz.com/blog/2013/04/19/obama-has-achieved-imperial-presidency-that-nixon-wanted-by-georgetown-law-professor-jonathan-turley/ Obama Has Achieved Imperial Presidency That Nixon Wanted], Jonathan Turley, April 19, 2013</ref> have in fact occurred against the campaign of [[Donald Trump]] during the Presidency of [[Barack Obama]].<ref>''New York Times'' reports "In the Obama administration’s last days, some '''White House officials scrambled to spread information about''' Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of '''President-elect Donald Trump''' and Russians — '''across the government.''' [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/obama-trump-russia-election-hacking.html?_r=0]</ref> Abuses such as spying on members of Congress,<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/03/10/kucinich_i_was_wiretapped_as_a_congressman_they_can_certainly_tap_a_presidential_candidate.html Kucinich: I Was Wiretapped As A Congressman, They Can Certainly Tap A Presidential Candidate], Ian Schwartz, March 10, 2017</ref> congressional committees tasked with overseeing agencies that administer the law,<ref>

There exists within the statute a potential that allows for domestic spying on political opponents similar to the abuses which toppled President [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>[http://lawnewz.com/opinion/sally-yates-should-be-investigated-for-her-possible-role-in-watergate-style-surveillance/ Sally Yates Should Be Investigated For Her Possible Role in Watergate-Style Surveillance], by Robert Barnes, February 15th, 2017</ref> Such abuses, and more,<ref>[http://www.gopbuzz.com/blog/2013/04/19/obama-has-achieved-imperial-presidency-that-nixon-wanted-by-georgetown-law-professor-jonathan-turley/ Obama Has Achieved Imperial Presidency That Nixon Wanted], Jonathan Turley, April 19, 2013</ref> have in fact occurred against the campaign of [[Donald Trump]] during the Presidency of [[Barack Obama]].<ref>''New York Times'' reports "In the Obama administration’s last days, some '''White House officials scrambled to spread information about''' Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of '''President-elect Donald Trump''' and Russians — '''across the government.''' [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/obama-trump-russia-election-hacking.html?_r=0]</ref> Abuses such as spying on members of Congress,<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/03/10/kucinich_i_was_wiretapped_as_a_congressman_they_can_certainly_tap_a_presidential_candidate.html Kucinich: I Was Wiretapped As A Congressman, They Can Certainly Tap A Presidential Candidate], Ian Schwartz, March 10, 2017</ref> congressional committees tasked with overseeing agencies that administer the law,<ref>

[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/a-brief-history-of-the-cias-unpunished-spying-on-the-senate/384003/ A Brief History of the CIA's Unpunished Spying on the Senate: President Obama's choice to lead the intelligence agency has undermined core checks and balances with impunity.] CONOR FRIEDERSDORF, DEC 23, 2014</ref> the Supreme Court,<ref><small>[[Daniel Ellsberg]], in responding to a question about why should people care, said: "Do they really believe that real [[democracy]] is viable, when one branch of government, the Executive, knows or can know every detail of every private communication (or credit card transaction, or movement) of: every journalist; every source to every journalist; every member of Congress and their staffs; every judge, at every level up to the Supreme Court? Do they think that every one of these people "has nothing to hide," nothing that could be used to blackmail them or manipulate them, or neutralize their dissent to Executive policies, or influence voting behavior? Is investigative journalism, or aggressive Congressional investigation of the Executive, or court restraints on Executive practices, really possible with that amount of transparency to the Executive of their private and professional lives and associations? And without any of those checks, the kind of democracy you have is that of the German Democratic Republic in [[East Germany]], with its [[Stasi]] (which had a minuscule fraction of the surveillance capability the NSA has now, but enough to turn a fraction of the population of East Germany into secret Stasi informants)."</small>

[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/a-brief-history-of-the-cias-unpunished-spying-on-the-senate/384003/ A Brief History of the CIA's Unpunished Spying on the Senate: President Obama's choice to lead the intelligence agency has undermined core checks and balances with impunity.] CONOR FRIEDERSDORF, DEC 23, 2014</ref> the Supreme Court,<ref><small>[[Daniel Ellsberg]], in responding to a question about why should people care, said: "Do they really believe that real [[democracy]] is viable, when one branch of government, the Executive, knows or can know every detail of every private communication (or credit card transaction, or movement) of: every journalist; every source to every journalist; every member of Congress and their staffs; every judge, at every level up to the Supreme Court? Do they think that every one of these people "has nothing to hide," nothing that could be used to blackmail them or manipulate them, or neutralize their dissent to Executive policies, or influence voting behavior? Is investigative journalism, or aggressive Congressional investigation of the Executive, or court restraints on Executive practices, really possible with that amount of transparency to the Executive of their private and professional lives and associations? And without any of those checks, the kind of democracy you have is that of the German Democratic Republic in [[East Germany]], with its [[Stasi]] (which had a minuscule fraction of the surveillance capability the NSA has now, but enough to turn a fraction of the population of East Germany into secret Stasi informants)."</small>

https://freedom.press/news-advocacy/highlights-from-daniel-ellsbergas-reddit-ama-on-edward-snowden-and-nsa-surveillance/</ref> intimidation of journalists for reporting on the FISA law,<ref>[http://www.cjr.org/criticism/national_security_letters.php When can the FBI use National Security Letters to spy on journalists? That’s classified.] By Trevor Timm, ''Columbia Journalism Review'', JANUARY 11, 2016</ref> and blackmail are either known to have occurred or potentially exist under the law.<ref>https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/trump-is-challenging-the-whole-cia-media-nexus/</ref> In 2017 the FBI said they could not assure that the hundreds of people administering programs created by the law would be investigated for felony criminal abuses.<ref>

https://freedom.press/news-advocacy/highlights-from-daniel-ellsbergas-reddit-ama-on-edward-snowden-and-nsa-surveillance/</ref> intimidation of journalists for reporting on the FISA law,<ref>[http://www.cjr.org/criticism/national_security_letters.php When can the FBI use National Security Letters to spy on journalists? That’s classified.] By Trevor Timm, ''Columbia Journalism Review'', JANUARY 11, 2016</ref> and blackmail are either known to have occurred or potentially exist under the law.<ref>https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/trump-is-challenging-the-whole-cia-media-nexus/</ref> In 2017 the FBI said they could not assure that the hundreds of people administering programs created by the law would be investigated for [[felony]] criminal abuses.<ref>

http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2017/03/gop-lawmaker-fbi-stop-leaks-russia-probe-or-lose-key-surveillance-tool/136325/?oref=d-topstory</ref>

http://www.defenseone.com/politics/2017/03/gop-lawmaker-fbi-stop-leaks-russia-probe-or-lose-key-surveillance-tool/136325/?oref=d-topstory</ref>