Rep. Himes backs Trump on surveillance powers

Today, The Hill reported that Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, acknowledged that many of his Democratic colleagues plan to flip their votes against renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) because they do not trust the Trump administration with the law's sweeping warrantless surveillance powers. Despite those concerns, Himes is continuing to push for renewal and against any votes on privacy protections.The following is a statement from Demand Progress Executive Director Sean Vitka: "Donald Trump has shown he will abuse every inch of power we give him. So you would think that given an opportunity to check his authority and protect Americans, Democrats would jump at the chance. But instead, Rep. Jim Himes is failing his critical role as an overseer of intelligence agencies and using his political power to lobby his fellow Democrats in service of the Trump administration domestic surveillance agenda. It is unforg