Executive Branch Surveillance & Privacy

The Lawfare Podcast: Matt Olsen Debriefs on FISA 702

Benjamin Wittes, Matthew Olsen, Jen Patja
Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 8:00 AM
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matt Olsen on the House reauthorization of FISA Section 702

Published by The Lawfare Institute
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Last week, the House passed an overhaul and reauthorization of the FISA 702 program, a bill which now heads to the Senate for final passage. In the run-up to Senate consideration of it, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matt Olsen joined Lawfare Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Wittes to talk about the House bill. They talked about the new constraints it imposes on the Justice Department and the FBI, what it doesn't do, the warrant requirement that isn't there, some other provisions that have generated controversy, and the bill's prospects in the Senate this week.


Benjamin Wittes is editor in chief of Lawfare and a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of several books.
Matthew Olsen is the Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division at the U.S. Department of Justice,
Jen Patja is the editor and producer of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security. She currently serves as the Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics, a nonprofit organization that empowers the next generation of leaders in Virginia by promoting constitutional literacy, critical thinking, and civic engagement. She is the former Deputy Director of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier and has been a freelance editor for over 20 years.

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