Yesterday the FISA Court issued to strongly worded rebuke of the FBI for its deceptive practices before the Court
In a rare public order Tuesday, the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court [FISC] strongly criticized the FBI over its surveillance-application process, giving the bureau until Jan. 10 to come up with solutions, in the wake of findings from Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.
The order, from the court’s presiding judge Rosemary M. Collyer, came just a week after the release of Horowitz’s withering report about the wiretapping of Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to President Trump.
“The FBI’s handling of the Carter Page applications, as portrayed in the [Office of Inspector General] report, was antithetical to the heightened duty of candor described above,” Collyer wrote in her four-page order. “The frequency with which representations made by FBI 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 FBI applications is reliable.”
Cry me a river
“The [FISA court] expects the government to provide complete and accurate information in every filing with the court,” Collyer wrote. “Without it, the [FISA court] cannot properly ensure that the government conducts electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes only when there is a sufficient factual basis.”
You don’t say.
FBI Director Christopher Wray offered a mea culpa and promised to be a good boy in the future:
Again, so freaking what?
Eric Clinesmith, the FBI lawyer who altered a document to make Carter Page look like a Russian spy has left the FBI. Who ordered him to alter the email? Who else has been fired other than McCabe? Why are any of the personnel who touched this still at the FBI? Are they going to get nothing more than “Strongly worded letters”?
And as for Collyer- who gives a damn what she thinks now? Who has she summoned to the Court to answer for the malfeasance?
NO ONE.
To make matters worse, Collyer and FISC were notified two years ago of the abuse.
My response to FISC court letter. Republicans warned court 2X in 2018… pic.twitter.com/oNODqy61hc
— Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) December 18, 2019
And what did the Court do?
Nothing.
Imagine a theft from Sotheby’s in which a $50 million diamond is stolen. Now imagine that Sotheby’s promises more and better security. Now imagine that the FBI comes in and promises to be better next time.
And no one catches or punishes the robbers.
That’s the state of the FISC today.
I am still hopeful that AG Barr and US Attorney John Durham will make mincemeat of the guilty, including James Comey, but you just have to shake your head over the inaction of the FISC and the FBI given these crimes.
How many times did the FBI alter documents and misrepresent cases before the FISC? How many innocent people have been accused and imprisoned under false pretenses?
There is no way the FISC should be re-authorized. It should be burned to the ground along with the top half of the FBI.
And frankly, Wray should be fired and John Ratcliffe installed as FBI Director. We could at least confidence that Ratcliffe would clean house. Right now none of us can have any confidence in either the FISC or the Bureau.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.