FBI whistleblower Steve Friend says the FBI had 278,000 FISA abuses in one calendar year. "The problem in the Congress, especially from the Republican side, is they are concerned about the messaging that goes along with any sort of opposition to any particular tool that law enforcement claims that it needs. FISA is no exception," Friend said. "They don't want to be painted as not backing the blue. Here is their fundamental misunderstanding. This is a counter-intelligence tool. It has nothing to do with criminal investigations. This is used to look at foreign actors when they are outside the United States, people who are working for a foreign government."