>What prevents a member of the domestic government from being a terrorist, or having ties to terrorists? That's a good question. I would say that nothing does.

>What prevents a member of the domestic government from being a terrorist, or having ties to terrorists? That's a good question. I would say that nothing does. But that's the wrong question. Imagine that the NSA found a conversation between a member of Congress and a foreign intelligence agent. However, because that Congressperson supports the NSA, they leave it alone. On the other hand, they see another member of Congress talking to the same intelligence agent. This Congressperson already hates the NSA, so the NSA won't lose any supporters by checking them out. Then, because of the information revealed about the second Congressperson, they lose their next election, and the next Congressperson is perhaps more friendly to the NSA. The NSA looking at Congress can distort decisions made about the NSA. I feel nervous about the NSA spying on Congress for exactly the same reason I would feel nervous if the NSA were spying on the FISA court judges. It's a separation of powers issue.