The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and other federal agencies are intensifying efforts to investigate pro-Palestinian student protests for potential foreign connections. This action follows pressure from Congress, which has urged the FBI to use informants to infiltrate these protests. The goal is to find evidence that could justify surveillance of these otherwise constitutionally protected protests, on the basis of foreign involvement, Ken Klippenstein reports.
On May 10, the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, asking “whether the FBI had any related undercover employees, online covert employees, or confidential human sources” at the supposedly “pro-Hamas protests” on college campuses. While phrased as a question, the intent is plainly that the FBI take action.
Another letter, sent May 14 from the House Oversight Committee and Education Committee to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen requesting Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)—based on banking details—on protest organizations, is part of a broader effort to link the protests to foreign entities.
