Keep public confirmation hearings for spy agency lawyers!
Petition to the U.S. Senate:
We urge you to reject measures in the Intelligence Authorization Act to weaken transparency and public oversight of intelligence agencies. We urge you to keep Senate confirmation hearings for top lawyers at the CIA and ODNI.
The most important legal voices at top U.S. spy agencies, including the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, have outsized and secretive influence over America’s surveillance, detention, and interrogation policies.
Senate confirmation hearings for these top intelligence lawyers are an important opportunity for the public to gain insight into America’s spying regime, vet these powerful officials, and hold agencies accountable. But pending legislation in the Senate could remove these confirmations altogether.1
Our lawmakers shouldn’t be granting even greater secrecy to such powerful intelligence agencies. As Trump marches his authoritarian agenda ahead, public transparency around surveillance and detention policies within the executive branch have become even more important.
Sign the petition: Urge the Senate to preserve critical confirmation hearings for top officials at spy agencies like the CIA!
The lead lawyers at spy agencies are largely responsible for determining the boundaries of what these agencies may lawfully do. The scope of this power, and the fact that it occurs outside of public view, are why Senate confirmation is so important.
Our Senators must preserve accountability and oversight for the most secretive parts of our government.
Sign the petition: Keep public confirmation hearings for spy agency lawyers!
Sources:
- Electronic Frontier Foundation, "Coalition Letter on IAA GC Provisions,” 2025.