(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)Wiretaps on Americans in foreign intelligence investigations are not easy to get. A senior intelligence official, typically the FBI or CIA director, must certify that the purpose is to collect foreign intelligence and that the information cannot be obtained by normal investigative means. An NSD attorney would then present the application to a judge of the special Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, made up of 11 federal district judges appointed by the chief justice of the United States. Under FISA, any information that does not have “foreign intelligence” value must be “minimized” or masked in the transcript. That includes the names of U.S. citizens who are picked up speaking to the target unless their identities are relevant to understanding the foreign intelligence.

Source: Washington Post March 04, 2017 23:38 UTC