Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently issued a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting information about the “dissemination of data” from the country’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), commonly referred to as the terrorist watchlist. Omar was joined by ten of her congressional colleagues in crafting the letter, including Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), and Mark Pocan (D-WI-02). “In our oversight role as members of Congress, we are entitled to information as to which countries receive this sensitive and classified information about American citizens, many of whom have never been charged, arrested or convicted of a crime,” the letter states, according to a press release from Omar’s office. “We are also extremely concerned that the federal government is sharing watchlist information with countries with dubious human rights records, including Saudi Arabia and China,” the letter continues. “Giving the same people who violently murdered Jamal Khashoggi access to the watchlist puts lives in danger. We have also received credible reports that Uyghur activists have been added to the watchlist at the behest of the Chinese government. It is unacceptable for U.S. resources to contribute to the brutal repression of political dissidents abroad.” The letter concludes…
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