McCaul: Letting FISA Expire Would Be 'Extremely Dangerous'

Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Wednesday on CNN's “The Situation Room” that it would be “extremely dangerous” if the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization is not passed.

Host Wolf Blitzer said, “Are American lives at risk if Congress doesn't reauthorize FISA, the foreign intelligence surveillance act as the FR=BI director of Warren today

McCaul said, “I 100% agree with Director Wray. In my prior life, I was a federal prosecutor after 9/11 on counterterrorism. I worked with the FBI on FISA warrants. We stopped a lot of bad things from happening. If we do not reauthorize FISA tomorrow and we go dark it will put American people in jeopardy and put them at risk at a time when the world is actually becoming more and more dangerous whether there'll be Hamas out of the Middle East and Iran or the jihadist in Afghanistan.”

He added, “This is the wrong time to play politics with this.”

Blitzer said, “The holdouts on FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act appear to be warming to some modifications, namely that the new version of the bill be that two-year reauthorization instead of what so many want that five-year authorization. Are you you're okay with the two-year window, at least as a minimum?”

McCaul said, “I will take it to your reauthorization rather than letting FISA expire that would be extremely dangerous to let that happen.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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