What's this about?
US lawmakers are demanding an investigation into the administration's use of an obscure law to conduct surveillance of Americans — following the reporting a few days ago that DHS had been using a rarely-invoked summons power to obtain records on journalists, non-profits and unions.
What does a congressional demand for investigation actually do?
Less than it sounds, and more than nothing. Letters from members of the minority have no compulsory force. What they do is create a documented record of the question being asked and refused, which matters later — for oversight hearings, for litigation discovery, and for the inspector general who may open a review. The mechanism is slow and mostly works by making continued use of the power carry a rising cost.
Why is it worth noticing?
HN 54 points, 10 comments
- It is the follow-through on a story from a few days ago, which is rare — most surveillance reporting produces no visible next step.
- The pattern being investigated is the use of an obscure authority precisely because it avoids the checks attached to the normal ones.
- Small thread, and it is the third surveillance item in this digest inside a week.