Comey, the FBI, and FISA: The Debacle is Now Undeniable

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

 

The Hill, January 14, 2018

Fed’s misconduct in Cliven Bundy case stems from Ruby Ridge

 

 

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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