That is about as long as this story lasted in the media:
Former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith received a sentence of 12 months probation and 400 hours of community Service.
Clinesmith admitted that in June 2017 he sent an altered email to an FBI agent that indicated a target of court-ordered FBI surveillance, former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, was “not a source” for the Central Intelligence Agency. The FBI had queried the CIA ask if Page was a source, and the CIA responded that Page “is a source”.
Using the altered email the FBI got a FISA court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) order to spy on Carter page. No charges were ever brought against Carter Page.
In 1974 a Congressional hearing lead by Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho). His committee examined the actions of the FBI, CIA, NSA and other agencies between World War II and the 1970s.
What they learned was that the government had been conducting Warrantless Surveillance of American’s international Telegrams and had opened traditional mail sent between the U.S. and communist countries. That the CIA and FBI both spied on and harassed domestic civil rights and antiwar protesters. This led Congress to enact FISA in 1978 and Jimmy Carter to sign it into law.
FISA marked a departure with our history, under which only the president, as commander in chief, was understood to have the power to surveil American citizens without warrants to gather foreign intelligence to protect the nation.
FISA set up a process where by the FBI could present evidence that someone was interacting with a foreign county in what they believed was posing a security risk. A FISA court would weight the evidence and either grant the request to start surveillance or reject it.
The FISA court would weight a case against The Fourth Amendment guarantees “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
So Clinesmith effectively lied to a court of law, and changed a legal document to demolish a right that Page was guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment.
For that Clinesmith get a slap on the wrist. That is pure bulls**t.
I once believed the FBI was the greatest law enforcement agency in the world. And today I still believe in the rank and file agents, they are fine people who do a great service to our country. However, the leadership needs to be chopped off. And FISA needs to be withdrawn
Favorite quote of the day:
“Just give the hedge funds a $600 check, they will be fine”.
Bizarre Lazar (@BrzarrLazer at twitter)