America is reeling over the apparent disconnect between what the public believes the intelligence community is doing, what the intelligence community believes it is authorized to do — and what the intelligence community is actually doing.

With a deadline to extend and/or reform controversial provisions of the PATRIOT Act looming, this is a critical time for Congress and the American people to know all they can about the executive branch’s intelligence activities. But how much is too much?

What should the public know? What should Congress know? What is the right vehicle for these disclosures? Perhaps most importantly, what is the effect on our democracy of inadequate public and congressional oversight? Join the Advisory Committee on Transparency and our panel of experts on Friday, May 8, 2015, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in room 2203 of the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss these questions and more. The event is free for all to attend.

• Sean Vitka, federal policy manager, the Sunlight Foundation [Moderator]
• Frederick A.O. “Fritz” Schwarz, Jr. author, “Democracy in the Dark: The Seduction of Government Secrecy;” chief counsel, Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law
• Mieke Eoyang, director of the National Security Program, Third Way
• Bob Litt, general counsel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
• Patrick Toomey staff attorney, ACLU National Security Project [Invited]