There are some federal law enforcement agencies that also have a counter intelligence role. Such agencies have access to CIA/FBI spying tools such as engaging in intercepting  emails, phone calls, financial records etc. However, federal law is crystal clear that there shall be NO spying on U.S. persons without probable cause of a genuine foreign intelligence threat and approval from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court.

Illegal spying on Americans has been highlighted in the news since it was revealed that the FBI/ DoJ and CIA have been caught lying to the FISA court in order to spy on the Trump campaign.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has admitted in military court, as if it had done nothing wrong, that it used counterintelligence spying tools which are supposed to be used to stop foreign terrorist threats and espionage, to spy on the defense lawyers of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher who is accused of killing a member of the Taliban in violation of the rules of engagement.

Defense council is making criminal referrals to prosecute Navy Lawyers for the misuse of spying tools. Navy prosecutors are also accused of illegally hiding exculpatory evidence from the defense.

The nonchalant nature in which the NCIS has admitted the use of spying tools to spy on Americans indicates that this is par for the course for the agency.

I encourage readers to watch the entire presser below as the way NCIS’ illegal behavior is described is almost breathtaking :

What other branches of the military are being used to spy on Americans?