President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to fire most of the members of a domestic watchdog agency that warns of potential privacy violations by federal surveillance programs, including the government’s warrantless electronic communications spying program.
Three members of the five-member Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Committee received letters this week asking them to resign or be prepared to be fired by Thursday. new york times report. The Democratic president appointed the three people targeted for firing, and their resignation would mean the board would not have a sufficient quorum to operate.
The only Republican-appointed board member has not been asked to resign. times Note. The fifth seat on the Board of Directors is currently vacant.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but was hampered by a lack of quorum and other procedural issues during much of the Bush administration and early in the Obama administration. Ta. Nevertheless, the committee produced the first comprehensive review of the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program in 2014. The report confirmed much of what Edward Snowden revealed to the public a year ago.
Since then, the Board has continued to advocate for greater transparency and accountability in the federal espionage program. of You can also review PCLOB It recommends anti-terrorism laws, regulations and policies and advises the White House on potential civil liberties violations.
On the board, full-time president The four part-time members serve staggered six-year terms. All members are appointed by the President and subject to Senate confirmation. This means that President Trump likely has the power to remove members at will, even if their terms have not yet expired.
Still, civil liberties advocates inside and outside the government said the sudden dismissal of the three PCLOB members was a worrying sign.
“This is an effort to shoot the guard dog,” says Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology. defender About online privacy, it said in a statement. reason. “President Trump’s attempt to expel members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Commission threatens to destroy an independent watchdog that has protected Americans and exposed surveillance abuses under Democratic and Republican administrations alike. This is a brazen attempt to do so.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a longtime critic of the federal surveillance state, said: said of times Trump has “purged” the board and is “bringing to its knees one of the only independent watchdogs of government oversight that can warn Congress and the public about the administration’s oversight abuses,” Trump said.
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration intends to appoint new board members to fill the four vacancies at PCLOB, or to leave the positions open and effectively shut down the organization. The latter option would certainly look bad for a president who has campaigned on the promise of: Fight against the so-called “deep state” and curb government espionage. PCLOB should be a collaborator in achieving these goals.
Of course Trump did that too. Sign bill reauthorizing the government’s Section 702 warrantless electronic surveillance program Since taking office in 2018, his commitment to surveillance reform is not firm.
“I sincerely hope that President Trump follows through on his promise to curb surveillance abuses.” I wrote Ashley Gorsky, a senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a post on
