WASHINGTON—An important but controversial spy law is just hours from lapsing amid a partisan impasse over President Donald Trump’s choice of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was temporarily renewed in late April with an expiration date of June 12.
The authority allows agencies to gather information on foreign targets outside the United States. Its defenders stress its importance to national security amid the Iran War and the World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting.
“Failing to extend FISA Section 702 could be fatal,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on social media on June 11….