“here is a threat to democracy in plain sight, and now it’s “nothing to see here, move along.”

Arnold Kling:

Without any agency to act as a check against the FBI or other intelligence organizations, there is nothing to prevent mission creep. When the question of what constitutes a “threat” is left to the agencies themselves, they will gravitate toward the broadest possible answer. And when the question arises concerning what methods are legitimate to employ, they will decide on the minimal possible constraints.