** that PATRIOT act amendments to FISA set new standard that required that foreign intelligence gathering be "a significant purpose" of the surveillance, as opposed to "the purpose." This helped offer greater flexibility and justification to the NSA's wiretapping domestically, and of US citizens, as long as the "significant purpose" of that is to collect foreign intelligence. ** insisted that the FISA amendments were intended to break down the "wall," thereby permitting federal prosecutors to use FISA surveillance to gather evidence for criminal prosecutions aimed at protecting national security.
PATRIOT Act Amendments to FISA lowered boundaries to warrantless wiretapping: