U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on June 10 (local time). Concurrently, Trump requested Congress to extend the deadline for Section 702 of FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act).

Through Truth Social on the same day, President Trump stated that William Pulte would assume the role of Acting Director of National Intelligence starting June 19, and announced, "I have directed him to urgently shrink the size of the ODNI and send people back to their respective agencies where they belong."

President Trump also stated, "At the same time, I am looking for a permanent nominee for Director of National Intelligence with experience in national security."

President Trump explained that these measures were taken because "radical left Democrats" were attempting to hold national security hostage under the pretext of unrelated matters. He stated, "They must stop playing political games with the safety of our Great Country."

President Trump emphasized the critical importance of Section 702 of FISA for maintaining security during the World Cup and the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding. He added, "I am asking Congress to send me a short-term extension of FISA so that we can have the time to select and confirm a permanent nominee for Director of National Intelligence."

Section 702 of FISA is a provision that allows U.S. intelligence agencies (NSA, CIA, FBI, etc.) to conduct wiretapping and surveillance of foreigners located outside of U.S. territory without a warrant. Its legal effect was set to expire on Friday, June 12. It was originally scheduled to expire on April 20, 2026, under the 2024 appropriations bill. However, the deadline was moved to June 12 after the Federal Congress consecutively passed a 10-day extension followed by an additional 45-day temporary extension.

Section 702 of FISA has been criticized for directly violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens' privacy, through warrantless collection and searches. While the provision was initially created for foreign intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism and other threats, it has continuously faced controversy over human rights violations due to the large-scale collection of communications from U.S. citizens and residents in the process.

According to Politico, Senate leadership circulated a proposal on the afternoon of June 10 to extend Section 702 until July 2, for approximately three weeks. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after meeting with President Trump, "Democrats must allow for at least a short-term extension of FISA, so that national security is not put at risk." Johnson stated that Trump made this decision in "good faith."

Politico reported that to extend Section 702, Republicans would need Democratic votes in both the House and Senate, as there are strong voices within the Republican party opposing the extension of FISA.

In fact, Trump himself had previously called for the abolition of FISA in May 2024, claiming that Section 702 of FISA was used to surveil him.

U.S. NNP=Chief Editor Hong Sung-goo / Special Contribution by this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com