--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason the FISA standard is…" description: "\"The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance not for criminal investigations but for coun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg" --- # The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the… ![“The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance not for criminal investigations but for counterintelligence probes pursued under the president's authority to conduct foreign policy.” quote by Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg) > “The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance not for criminal investigations but for counterintelligence probes pursued under the president's authority to conduct foreign policy.” [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The FISA standard is deemed constitutional because it limits surveillance to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, not domestic criminal investigations, under presidential authority. **In simple terms:** FISA permits foreign‑focused surveillance, not domestic crime probing. Key Takeaway Respect legal boundaries of surveillance. Themes law surveillance constitutionality Mood cautious analytical Type legal political When to use this quote - policy analysis - legal compliance - government oversight Key Concepts foreign intelligence counterintelligence presidential authority Questions to Reflect On - How can oversight ensure FISA is not overextended? - What safeguards protect civil liberties? A Different Perspective Potential for misuse if boundaries blur. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminal investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-investigation/) [Fisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisa-597429/) [Fisa Standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisa-standard-5418282/) [Fisa Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisa-surveillance-5418284/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Fisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-fisa-5418283/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Use Fisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-fisa-5418285/) ## Related quotes > [To get a FISA warrant to spy on a suspected spy, the feds go before a super-secret court located in a sealed room in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/to-get-a-fisa-warrant-to-spy-on-a-suspected-spy-the-feds-go-before-a/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [FISA targets those who are 'agents of a foreign power.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/fisa-targets-those-who-are-agents-of-a-foreign-power/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [We cannot go up on a wire. We cannot do a search without a judge on the FISA Court approving it and determining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/we-cannot-go-up-on-a-wire-we-cannot-do-a-search-without-a-judge-on/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [“From its inception, FISA has been the ultimate rubber stamp. In its first twenty-four years, from 1978 to 2002, the court rejected a total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/from-its-inception-fisa-has-been-the-ultimate-rubber-stamp-in-its/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [There's a lot of talk about FISA applications. Many people I've seen talk about it seem not to recognize that a FISA application is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-rosenstein/there-s-a-lot-of-talk-about-fisa-applications-many-people-i-ve-seen/) [Rod Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-rosenstein/) > [What we do is we combine information collected from any lawful source in a single FBI database so we don't miss a dot when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/what-we-do-is-we-combine-information-collected-from-any-lawful-source/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [“Then, on December 14, 1999, an alert United States Customs agent in Port Angeles, Washington, stopped a nervous twenty-three-year-old Algerian named Ahmed Ressam who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-weiner/then-on-december-14-1999-an-alert-united-states-customs-agent-in-port/) [Tim Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-weiner/) > [The government's collection authority, under the Patriot Act, is basically limitless. They can get the medical records and financial records, gun purchase records. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-wyden/the-government-s-collection-authority-under-the-patriot-act-is/) [Ron Wyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-wyden/) > [It is a little bit difficult to talk about things that do involve classified matters in public. But I think the public needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/it-is-a-little-bit-difficult-to-talk-about-things-that-do-involve/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [So there is a foreign intelligence purpose for every one of our FISA warrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/so-there-is-a-foreign-intelligence-purpose-for-every-one-of-our-fisa/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [The Obama administration's FBI and Justice Department used unverified opposition research obtained outside of our country as ammunition to get a FISA warrant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-regan/the-obama-administration-s-fbi-and-justice-department-used-unverified/) [Trish Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-regan/) > [While Congress saw some need to loosen the standard in the initial days of a war, it wanted the president to comply with FISA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/while-congress-saw-some-need-to-loosen-the-standard-in-the-initial/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) > [FISA is one of the most important investigative tools we've got in preventing our adversaries from harming our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/fisa-is-one-of-the-most-important-investigative-tools-we-ve-got-in/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [I know firsthand that it's difficult to get a FISA warrant. From 2002 to 2005, when I was an F.B.I. agent conducting counterintelligence investigations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-rangappa/i-know-firsthand-that-it-s-difficult-to-get-a-fisa-warrant-from-2002/) [Asha Rangappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-rangappa/) > [FISA is a powerful tool - and we've got to be sure we're using it properly, at every step in the process. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/fisa-is-a-powerful-tool-and-we-ve-got-to-be-sure-we-re-using-it/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) ## More by Benjamin Wittes > [Reasonable people can disagree about the authorities the NSA should have, when it's appropriate for the CIA to use drone strikes, and how assertive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/reasonable-people-can-disagree-about-the-authorities-the-nsa-should/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I'm a rationalist and a skeptic, someone who safely separates faith from reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-m-a-rationalist-and-a-skeptic-someone-who-safely-separates-faith/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I'm an unabashed apologist for strong national-security authority. That's why I might be more alarmed by Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-m-an-unabashed-apologist-for-strong-national-security-authority/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [If you believe, as I do, that the scope and range of presidential authority is great, that puts a lot of weight on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/if-you-believe-as-i-do-that-the-scope-and-range-of-presidential/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [In any long string of letters, one can find countless anomalies that will seem like convincing proofs of hidden meaning to the mind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/in-any-long-string-of-letters-one-can-find-countless-anomalies-that/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [To get a FISA warrant to spy on a suspected spy, the feds go before a super-secret court located in a sealed room in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/to-get-a-fisa-warrant-to-spy-on-a-suspected-spy-the-feds-go-before-a/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [One effect of Roe was to mobilize a permanent constituency for criminalizing abortion - a constituency that has driven much of the southern realignment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/one-effect-of-roe-was-to-mobilize-a-permanent-constituency-for/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [There is no doubt in my mind that Article II limits to a considerable degree the application of the obstruction statutes to the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-article-ii-limits-to-a-considerable/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [It might seem perverse for honestly religious people to group their faiths with those of the sadists and megalomaniacs who run most cults, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/it-might-seem-perverse-for-honestly-religious-people-to-group-their/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [Eric Holder is a decent man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/eric-holder-is-a-decent-man/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [Al-Qaida is a cult of martyrdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/al-qaida-is-a-cult-of-martyrdom/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [I generally favor permissive abortion laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-generally-favor-permissive-abortion-laws/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [While I oppose the death penalty as a policy matter, in a legal culture in which we reserve the right to execute people for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/while-i-oppose-the-death-penalty-as-a-policy-matter-in-a-legal/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [We should stop thinking of Snowden, to the extent that we ever were, as a hero. We should stop thinking of him as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/we-should-stop-thinking-of-snowden-to-the-extent-that-we-ever-were-as/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [Trump fired Jim Comey because the most dangerous thing in the world, if you are Donald Trump, is a person who tells the truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/trump-fired-jim-comey-because-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) [Explore all 75 Benjamin Wittes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) ## More Criminal investigation quotes > [My role and my obligation was to conduct criminal investigations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-role-and-my-obligation-was-to-conduct-criminal-investigations/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are two things that matter in a criminal investigation of a subject.What did the person do, and when they did that thing, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/there-are-two-things-that-matter-in-a-criminal-investigation-of-a/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [This whole pre-criminal investigation, where we watch everybody, all the time, just in case, is really an extraordinary departure from the Western liberal tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/this-whole-pre-criminal-investigation-where-we-watch-everybody-all/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The responsibility of a minister is to step aside when there is a criminal investigation of the department. That protects the propriety of Parliament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-layton/the-responsibility-of-a-minister-is-to-step-aside-when-there-is-a/) [Jack Layton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-layton/) > [I was a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. The only way that they caught him using doping was through a criminal investigation where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fogel/i-was-a-huge-fan-of-lance-armstrong-the-only-way-that-they-caught-him/) [Bryan Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fogel/) > [The role of the federal prosecutor and the purpose of a criminal investigation are well-defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/the-role-of-the-federal-prosecutor-and-the-purpose-of-a-criminal/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [“A major investigation, once it gets underway, is as exciting as watching reruns of Big Brother, although possibly involving less sex and violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/a-major-investigation-once-it-gets-underway-is-as-exciting-as/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [Given our law enforcement authorities, our central role in the Intelligence Community, and the span of our responsibilities - from counterterrorism to counterintelligence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/given-our-law-enforcement-authorities-our-central-role-in-the/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [“Furthermore, after the Justice Department targeted a Fox News reporter for a criminal investigation under the Espionage Act, in a matter involving unauthorized disclosure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mccarthy/furthermore-after-the-justice-department-targeted-a-fox-news-reporter/) [Andrew McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mccarthy/) > [“After business, the next most frequent use of the polygraph test is as part of criminal investigations. It is not only used on criminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ekman/after-business-the-next-most-frequent-use-of-the-polygraph-test-is-as/) [Paul Ekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ekman/) > [Derogatory information sometimes is disclosed in the course of criminal investigations and prosecutions, but we never release it gratuitously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-rosenstein/derogatory-information-sometimes-is-disclosed-in-the-course-of/) [Rod Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-rosenstein/) > [Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [The nation certainly would have been better off if President Clinton could have focused on Osama bin Laden without being distracted by the Paula…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/the-nation-certainly-would-have-been-better-off-if-president-clinton/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) > [A president who is concerned about an ongoing criminal investigation is almost inevitably going to do a worse job as president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/a-president-who-is-concerned-about-an-ongoing-criminal-investigation/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) > [As a young prosecutor, I used the Bureau of Criminal Investigation extensively. I saw that there were problems with BCI. Frankly, I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-dewine/as-a-young-prosecutor-i-used-the-bureau-of-criminal-investigation/) [Mike DeWine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-dewine/) [Browse all 27 Criminal investigation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-investigation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance not for criminal investigations but for counterintelligence probes pursued under the president's authority to conduct foreign policy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Wittes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitutional-is-that-the-government/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criminal investigation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitutional-is-that-the-government/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/benjamin-wittes-9097_criminal-investigati_the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitu_3108271.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance…” — Benjamin Wittes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Benjamin Wittes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The reason the FISA standard is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitutional-is-that-the-government/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/the-reason-the-fisa-standard-is-constitutional-is-that-the-government/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```