WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government's ability to review and analyze five years' worth of telephone records for the married couple blamed in the deadly shootings in California lapsed just four days before the attack.
Those historical calling records at the National Security Agency are now off-limits to agents running the FBI terrorism investigation, even with a warrant.
Under the new USA Freedom Act, authorities were able to obtain roughly two years' worth of the couple's calling records directly from the phone companies.
FBI Director James Comey declined to say Friday whether the NSA program's shutdown affected the government's terrorism investigation in California.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the FBI was poring through records for the married couple, including their foreign travel, their contacts other individuals, and their use of social media.