US Lawmakers Demand Investigation into Trump Administration’s Secret Surveillance of Americans

Two Democratic lawmakers have asked Congress’s investigative watchdog to examine how the Trump administration obtained information on journalists, nonprofits and unions without judicial oversight.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington sent their request on Tuesday to the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan body. The request follows revelations about the Department of Homeland Security’s use of an obscure law to make secret demands for records.

The lawmakers focused on DHS powers connected to customs matters. The department recently used administrative summonses to issue what the request described as extraordinary unilateral demands for information. The reported targets included journalists, nonprofit organizations and labor unions.

The move adds to mounting scrutiny of the administration’s surveillance practices. Wyden and Jayapal are seeking an investigation into whether the use of these powers allowed the government to collect records while bypassing judicial review.