Intelligence-Oversight

Bush Authorizes NSA Stellar Wind Program Bypassing FISA Court

| Importance: 10/10

President George W. Bush authorized the NSA’s Stellar Wind warrantless domestic surveillance program, completely bypassing FISA court oversight in a fundamental alteration of constitutional checks and balances. The program allowed the NSA to collect phone metadata and internet communications …

George W. Bush Michael Hayden NSA Dick Cheney David Addington +3 more surveillance nsa stellar-wind fisa-bypass constitutional-crisis +3 more
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Church Committee Exposes Systemic Intelligence Agency Abuses

| Importance: 9/10

The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, led by Senator Frank Church, comprehensively investigated illegal activities by US intelligence agencies. The committee exposed widespread constitutional violations including NSA’s Project …

Frank Church CIA NSA FBI intelligence-oversight civil-liberties congressional-investigation surveillance institutional-reform
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Church Committee: Landmark Democratic Resistance Framework Against Intelligence Abuses

| Importance: 9/10

On April 22, 1975, the Senate formally established the Church Committee to investigate systematic abuses by U.S. intelligence agencies. Led by Senator Frank Church, the committee exposed unprecedented violations of constitutional rights by the CIA, NSA, and FBI, including illegal surveillance of …

Senator Frank Church Senator John Tower US Senate CIA NSA +2 more institutional-resistance intelligence-oversight democratic-safeguards constitutional-rights government-accountability
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