President Trump fired all three Democrats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), bringing much of its work to a standstill, reports The Hill. The move guts a board designed to ensure the government’s work to fight terrorism is balanced with protections for civil liberties. The White House informed the three Democrats on Thursday it was seeking their resignation, and they were officially terminated Monday. The action removes some voices on the panel critical of foreign surveillance actions, which often had them aligned with right-wing Republicans who wish to curtail such programs.
The change likely will diminish oversight of the intelligence community. The board confirmed the dismissals and indicated it would need new members to continue its work. The terminated members are Chair Sharon Bradford Franklin, and members Ed Felten and Travis LeBlanc. The board’s Democratic members in 2023 released a report critical of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows for warrantless spying on foreigners located abroad. That left the panel’s Democrats aligned with right-leaning congressional Republicans and other privacy-minded lawmakers who have advocated for adding a warrant provision before reviewing any information incidentally collected on Americans. LeBlanc said that the board's "partisan shift will ultimately undermine not only the mission of the agency, but public trust and confidence in the ability of the government to honor privacy rights, respect civil liberties, honestly inform the public, and follow the law."
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