U.S. Justice Dept says it should not have continued spying on former Trump adviser

By Mark Hosenball

 

FILE PHOTO: One-time advisor of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump Carter Page addresses the audience during a presentation in Moscow, Russia, December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has told a court it did not have enough evidence to justify continued surveillance of one of President Donald Trump's former campaign advisers in 2017, in a sign it believes the FBI on occasion went too far when it investigated Russian influence in the 2016 election.

 

The department's assessment, made public on Thursday, came after an in-depth review by the Justice Department's internal watchdog found the FBI manipulated evidence and otherwise overstepped its bounds as it explored possible links between the Trump campaign and Moscow in 2016.

 

The watchdog's review, made public in December, found that FBI agents acted legally when they asked in 2016 for court approval to begin surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. But it determined that they left out evidence that could have weakened their case against Page as they sought renewed approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in the months that followed.

 

The Justice Department has since tried to set the record straight, telling the secretive surveillance court that in the later stages of surveillance "there was insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power," according to a court opinion released in an unclassified version on Thursday.

 

Based on that assessment, Judge James Boasberg wrote that he thought the Justice Department no longer viewed some of the continued surveillance of Page in 2017 as legitimate.

 

"The Court understands the government to have concluded, in view of the material misstatements and omissions, that the Court's authorisations ... were not valid," Boasberg wrote.

 

The Justice Department has not concluded whether its prior surveillance of Page was justified, he wrote in an opinion dated Jan. 7.

The Justice Department and Page did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

The FBI declined to comment. The agency's chief, Christopher Wray, has said he has taken steps to fix problems highlighted in the review.

 

The FBI investigation was taken over in May 2017 by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

 

His report, released in April 2019, detailed a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States and help Trump defeat Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Mueller documented numerous contacts between Trump campaign figures and Moscow but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy.

 

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Bill Berkrot)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-24

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So now the legitimate questions can finally be asked without being shrugged off as conspiracy theory:  If the FBI knew that there was no Russian collusion within the Trump campaign so early on why did they continue to renew the FISA applications?  For what purpose exactly and to what end?  And why, then, did they even initiate the Mueller probe?

 

Edited January 23, 20206 yr by Tippaporn

Looks to me like bill Barr is giving trump cover trump is what he is he will and does use any means he can to get what he wants leagle or not morality means nothing to him 

3 minutes ago, Tug said:

Looks to me like bill Barr is giving trump cover trump is what he is he will and does use any means he can to get what he wants leagle or not morality means nothing to him 

And what evidence do you have?

The document released by the FISC ourt.

 

https://www.fisc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/FISC Declassifed Order 16-1182 17-52 17-375 17-679 200123.pdf

10 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

And what evidence do you have?

My eyes ears and brain

7 minutes ago, Tug said:

18 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

And what evidence do you have?

My eyes ears and brain

They are useless if used in conjunction with heavy filtering devices.

Trump 2020

Feel sorry for Page who was a victim of FBI bias

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

And what evidence do you have?

What evidence do you have.

 

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. 

 

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

 

 

1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

They are useless if used in conjunction with heavy filtering devices.

Said without the slightest hint of introspection.

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What evidence do you have.

 

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. 

 

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

 

 

 FBI Director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe set him up. It will all come out eventually. 

23 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What evidence do you have.

 

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. 

 

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

 

 

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

You're conveniently leaving out a lot of facts which show otherwise.  Either you're aware of those facts and wish to leave them out in order to purposely paint a false picture or you haven't done your homework.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

No proof whatsoever to that claim.  It's strictly how you assemble selective facts.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power.

 

BS.  Carter Page was a CIA asset.  In 2017, the CIA sent an email to the FBI restating that Page had been an asset.  FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith criminally altered the email to reverse the confirmation.  But this is such old news that there is no plausible way for you to not be aware of it.  So why did you not mention it?  Trying to paint a false narrative?

 

FBI deliberately hid Carter Page's patriotic role as CIA asset, IG report shows

 

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/11/kevin-clinesmith-fbi-attorney-hid-carter-page-cia-/

 

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

 

See above.  Carter Page was a CIA asset.

It is amazing that the left and the media have stood by the fallacy of a legitimate government investigation for years feeding unsourced innuendo to try and spin the same narrative. 

 

It is slowly being exposed for the most dangerous attempt to subvert a duly elected president. Unfortunately, the people behind this, are still walking free,for now. 

7 minutes ago, Chiphigh said:

It is amazing that the left and the media have stood by the fallacy of a legitimate government investigation for years feeding unsourced innuendo to try and spin the same narrative. 

 

It is slowly being exposed for the most dangerous attempt to subvert a duly elected president. Unfortunately, the people behind this, are still walking free,for now. 

They are attempting to retain their power in order to continue their grift.

 

But what's even more amazing to me is the sheer numbers of people who allow themselves to be so fooled.  It's mind boggling to me that so many are incapable of seeing through the attempted illusion.

4 hours ago, BobBKK said:

 FBI Director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe set him up. It will all come out eventually. 

Well it didn’t ‘come out’ during Trump/Barr’s investigation did it?!

 

Because your conspiracy nonsense is just that, conspiracy nonsense.

3 hours ago, Tippaporn said:

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

You're conveniently leaving out a lot of facts which show otherwise.  Either you're aware of those facts and wish to leave them out in order to purposely paint a false picture or you haven't done your homework.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

No proof whatsoever to that claim.  It's strictly how you assemble selective facts.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power.

 

BS.  Carter Page was a CIA asset.  In 2017, the CIA sent an email to the FBI restating that Page had been an asset.  FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith criminally altered the email to reverse the confirmation.  But this is such old news that there is no plausible way for you to not be aware of it.  So why did you not mention it?  Trying to paint a false narrative?

 

FBI deliberately hid Carter Page's patriotic role as CIA asset, IG report shows

 

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/11/kevin-clinesmith-fbi-attorney-hid-carter-page-cia-/

 

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

 

See above.  Carter Page was a CIA asset.

I’m sticking to the FACT that the DoJ investigation found the FBI to have acted legally.

 

As for this nonsense about Carter Page being a CIA asset, he’s nothing but a liability, as the Russians described him

’a useful idiot’.

 

 

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by Chomper Higgot

6 hours ago, Tug said:

My eyes ears and brain

 

So nothing other than what you've gleaned from media outlets that supports the same political opinions as you do.

 

 

59 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’m sticking to the FACT that the DoJ investigation found the FBI to have acted legally.

 

As for this nonsense about Carter Page being a CIA asset, he’s nothing but a liability, as the Russians described him

’a useful idiot’.

 

 

 

Trump must be guilty - of any accusation. 

 

Democrats and other left wing liberal political groups must be innocent and no one should even dare accuse them.

 

Those investigating Trump and other center or right political groups must be allowed to break any laws, suppress or invent facts as they wish, and ignore their own rules. They must never ever be allowed to investigate the left liberals of course. Because the latter are always totally innocent anyway.

 

The simple world of Chomper Higgot!

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Looks to me like bill Barr is giving trump cover trump is what he is he will and does use any means he can to get what he wants leagle or not morality means nothing to him 

Amazing what can be achieved when you appoint yes men to crucial positions. 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’m sticking to the FACT that the DoJ investigation found the FBI to have acted legally.

 

As for this nonsense about Carter Page being a CIA asset, he’s nothing but a liability, as the Russians described him

’a useful idiot’.

 

 

I'm sticking to the fact that they used KNOWN bogus information to spy on a KNOWN CIA asset. 

 

And that they have yet to announce the verdict of the legal predicate of the first two fisa warrants. 

 

The state dept is still refusing foia requests for information. 

 The psychosis known as Trump Derangement Syndrome makes the Wuhan Flu look like a case of the sniffles. 

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What evidence do you have.

 

The DoJ’s own investigation found the FBI acted legally.

 

All we have now is Trump’s hand picked AG making a statement for the benefit of Trump and his base.

 

Here’s a fact, Carter Page was as an unregistered agent of a foreign power.

Here’s another fact, the WH were informed of the fact Carter Page was a security risk and did nothing about it.

Trump? Wrong branch.

 

Webfact:

"The Court understands the government to have concluded, in view of the material misstatements and omissions, that the Court's authorisations ... were not valid," Boasberg wrote.

 

The Justice Department has not concluded whether its prior surveillance of Page was justified, he wrote in an opinion dated Jan. 7.

 

This is about Judge Boasberg, the judicial branch.

 

Clearer explanation from WSJ:

The Justice Department letter is classified, but is referenced in a new order declassified by the judge that heads the FISA court, James Boasberg, on Thursday.

 

Judge Boasberg ordered the government to explain further the specific steps it intended to take in response to its belief that some of the surveillance collected against Mr. Page lacked a legal basis. The order was issued Jan. 7, but wasn’t declassified until Thursday.

 

More to come, End game soon.

 

 

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by rabas

2 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Amazing what can be achieved when you appoint yes men to crucial positions. 

Yes. The Obama administration appointed several hundreds of them, some still have jobs, for now. Some have filed bogus complaints, others are purposely hiding information from foia requests. 

 

Another term will help to clear up the problem. 

28 minutes ago, Chiphigh said:

Yes. The Obama administration appointed several hundreds of them, some still have jobs, for now. Some have filed bogus complaints, others are purposely hiding information from foia requests. 

 

Another term will help to clear up the problem. 

But, but, but Obama...deary deary me.

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by Bluespunk

Just now, Bluespunk said:

But, but, but Obama...

 

That all you've got...deary deary me.

It's good to know that you have double standards and ignore reality. 

12 minutes ago, Chiphigh said:

It's good to know that you have double standards and ignore reality. 

Keep telling yourself that, if it helps you...

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by Bluespunk

32 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Keep telling yourself that, if it helps you...

It's got nothing to do with what I tell myself, but it does have everything to do with fairness and objective reality. 

 

If you want to ignore that, it's on you. 

3 minutes ago, Chiphigh said:

It's got nothing to do with what I tell myself, but it does have everything to do with fairness and objective reality. 

 

If you want to ignore that, it's on you. 

The reality is trump appointed a yes man to get the result he craved.

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

The reality is trump appointed a yes man to get the result he craved.

What result is that?