House Passes Bill to Reform Beleaguered Secret Service with More Oversight, Agents
The U.S. House approved legislation Monday aimed at reforming the beleaguered Secret Service, which has been beset by lax security, poor management and scandals.
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Congress Mulls Plan to Create Separate Unit to Investigate Terrorism
Fearing that Homeland Security is not equipped to combat violent extremism, key lawmakers in Washington passed legislation Wednesday that would create a single office dedicated to focusing solely on terrorism.
Bill Would Help Justice Department Combat ‘Violent Extremism’
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department is moving forward on its promise to combat “violent extremism.” Reason.com reports that Rep. Michael McCaul has introduced a bill, Countering Violent Extremism Act, that would create a federal Office of Coordination for Countering Violent Extremism. The office would be house at Homeland Security. The bill covers a…
FBI Assures Congress That Planes Aren’t Used for Mass Surveillance
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI assured Congress that its plane surveillance program is not intended to perform mass surveillance or bulk intelligence collection, the Associated Press reports. The FBI, however, declined to answer some questions about its planes, including how often they are used and how much they cost. The briefing comes two weeks…
Another Secret Service Lapse: New Hires Haven’t Completed Security Clearance Process
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com In its rush to hire new Secret Service officers to handle serious security lapses, the agency placed several dozen new people in sensitive positions, even though they had not completed the required national security clearance process, the Washington Post reports, citing two unnamed government sources. Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy told…
FBI: Apple And Google Are Assisting Terrorists with Privacy Tecnhology
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Are Apple and Google the bad guys? A senior FBI official told a Congressional committee that the technology giants are aiding terrorists by offering users encrypted communications, a senior FBI officials told the House Homeland Security Committee, The Register reports. Michael Steinbach, assistant director in the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, said the…
Congressmen: FBI Plan Would Make American Phones Vulnerable to Hackers
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Two Congressmen with computer science degrees said the FBI is making Americans vulnerable to hackers, and any suggestion otherwise is ignorant, CNN reports. U.S. Reps. Will Hurd of Texas and Ted Lieu of California are criticizing FBI Director James Comey’s insistence that cell phone companies allow a “backdoor” for the bureau…
Bloomberg: Time to Put ATF Out of Its Misery, Consider Folding into FBI
By Bloomberg Editorial Board Many members of Congress seem to view the U.S.’s most deadly criminals — those who carry guns — as a protected class. For decades, they’ve tried everything imaginable to cripple the agency charged with enforcing federal laws against illegal gun buying, trafficking and possession. Meanwhile, advocates of stricter gun-law enforcement have fought…