The secret FISA court today publicly condemned the FBI lies that resulted in nuclear-powered surveillance warrants targeting the Trump campaign. “The frequency with which representations made by F.B.I. personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession, and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case, calls into question whether information contained in other F.B.I. applications is reliable,” Judge Collyer wrote. For years, most of the media has portrayed the FBI and fired FBI chief James Comey as heroic crusaders against the Trump administration. Last week’s Inspector General report obliterated that narrative. Sunday’s Fox News interview of Comey by Chris Wallace should settle any doubts about whether Comey’s candor and credibility. In December 2018, Comey declared, ““I think the notion that #FISA was abused here is nonsense.” Comey signed the deceptive FISA warrant applications. But now he is portraying himself as practically an innocent bystander.
The FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Despite the failure of the FBI investigation or the Special Counsel to substantiate the most serious accusation, that theme is the backdrop for the Democrats’ impeachment efforts.
Some media folks are absolving themselves by claiming that the facts on FBI misconduct and untrustworthiness were not available. Bull. Here’s some of my articles for national newspapers on the topic in recent years.
USA Today, December 10, 2019
Inspector General report on FBI’s FISA abuse tells us one thing: We need radical reform.
USA Today, August 30, 2019
You may have seen him on a prayer candle, but James Comey is no saint
USA Today, November 20, 2018
Julian Assange deserves a Medal of Freedom, not a secret indictment
USA TODAY, October 2, 2018
Don’t count on the FBI to clear up the Kavanaugh-Ford mess. Its record is flawed.
USA Today, June 15, 2018
Inspector general’s report on FBI and Clinton’s emails shows secrecy threatens democracy
The Hill, June 13, 2018
A politically weaponized FBI is nothing new, but plenty dangerous
The Hill, April 20, 2018
Comey’s book tour is all about ‘truth’ — but his FBI tenure, not so much
USA Today, April 3, 2018
After the FBI’s Pulse nightclub failure, why should we trust James Comey anymore?
The Hill, February 5, 2018
Will FISA secrecy doom democracy?
USA TODAY, February 2, 2018
Nunes memo released: FBI objections lacked credibility given bureau’s shady past
The Hill, January 29, 2018
Robert Mueller’s forgotten surveillance crime spree
The Hill, January 22, 2018
Destroying, suppressing evidence is FBI standard procedure
The Hill, January 14, 2018
Fed’s misconduct in Cliven Bundy case stems from Ruby Ridge
USA Today, January 5, 2018
Cliven Bundy-FBI debacle: Another example of why the feds need to be leashed
The Hill, December 11, 2017
Yes, the FBI is America’s secret police
USA TODAY, May 11, 2017
Comey firing justly knocks FBI off its pedestal
Blog, December 17, 2012
FISA Renewal: Only a Fool…
Only a fool would expect members of Congress to give a damn about his rights and liberties. That’s the lesson from today’s Senate floor debate on extending the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance of Americans under FISA.
American Conservative, March 13, 2016
State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
Blog, January 12, 2006
The FISA Farce
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