Congress apparently had no idea the FBI has a secret air force

Congress has a proud history of objecting to warrantless surveillance when it's not of their own creation, so the recent revelation that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a secret air force has several of our representatives upset.

Letters legislators have penned in the last few days indicate they were not previously aware of the FBI's fleet of more than 100 spy planes, which are used to monitor American cities. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote the FBI to demand information on "(1) the scope, nature, and purpose of these operations; (2) what types of surveillance equipment were used in the operations, if not cell-site simulators; and (3) what legal authorities, if any, are being relied upon in carrying out these operations."

Meanwhile, in the House, a letter to the FBI from 16 members argued that "It is highly disturbing to learn that your agency may be [engaging in bulk phone record collection] and more with a secret fleet of aircraft engaged in surveillance missions.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up