

Congress Didn't Notice the FBI Creating a 'Small Air Force' for Surveillance - Errorcod3
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/congress-didnt-notice-the-fbi-creating-a-small-air-force-for-surveillance/395147/?single_page=true

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jimrandomh
This is part of a broader pattern. Congress is not capable of understanding or
controlling what is going on in the rest of the government. They don't have
the time or the resources to do more than play whack-a-mole. Many of them lack
the personal and political security to attack corruption without losing their
seats.

The FBI is quite capable of manufacturing a natural-looking scandal to knock
down any Senator who tried to reduce its power. They might be able to do such
a thing if they stuck together and presented a unified political front, but
they are constantly divided, and strong forces are pushing them into chaos.

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themeek
Right, but they also interrogated Eric Holder and also Loretta Lynch about the
use of not just surveillance, but hellfire, drones over American skies.

The FAA's legislation further opens up the skies for surveillance drones -
sets the regulations and permanent airspace for it - though everyone is going
to be excited about some silly delivery service.

Wouldn't the National Security Council know about this FBI program? They know
about NSA mass surveillance. It's true that Congress is kept mostly in the
dark about these programs, but the NSC gets some reasonable level of summary.

