FISA Court: We Approve 99 Percent Of Wiretap Applications

A letter released by a special surveillance court clears up some misconceptions about legal oversight for government wiretap activities.

Responding to a letter from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) and ranking member Charles Grassley (R-IA), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court says, yes, it's true, we do approve 99% of all wiretap applications. But for the first time, the FISC also says that it demanded changes to 24.4 percent of those applications before granting final approval (that's for a recent three-month period). This is the court's way of saying, we are not a potted plant -- or a rubber stamp, as some have alleged. We are reading these applications closely, and pushing back where appropriate. But the letter also shows that the court could also be accused of operating hand in glove with government lawyers making these requests.