What Is The Conspiracy Hypothesis Behind The Fisa Declassification?

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) governs surveillance and intelligence collection on U.S. soil, with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) being a specialized federal court in Washington, D.C. The law allows the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign nationals living outside the U.S. The FISA allows for classified information, which is information relating to national security that warrants special protection from unauthorized disclosure due to the damage to national security.

Recently, declassified documents show that conversations between former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the United States were apparently secret. After the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush secretly ordered a warrantless wiretapping program called Stellarwind, violating the FISA. In pursuing relief from the Supreme Court, petitioners seek to overturn a carefully calibrated process regarding the workings of the FISC designed to provide this protection.

The FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane on July 31, 2016, just days after receiving information from a Friendly House. After the election, the relationship soured, with news reports of an active investigation into Russian efforts to swing the US election. Various conspiracy theories allege that certain institutions or individuals had foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks in 2001.

The first-ever declassification of FISA documents highlights the enduring lessons learned from the FISA process. The History Lab, a project led by historians, has been working with declassified information to improve the accuracy of FISA court orders.