SHOCKING? FBI Illegally Spied on a US Senator
This is where I’m supposed to say it’s shocking or unbelievable, but the sad reality is it’s almost not even surprising anymore.
We’ve just learned that the Deep State FBI illegally spied on a sitting U.S. Senator. And not back in the ’50s. This happened LAST YEAR under President Joe Biden.
As reported, the FISA court found:
The FBI improperly used surveillance powers to conduct searches for information on a U.S. senator, a state lawmaker and a state judge, according to court records released Friday as part of a public records request.
The FBI’s improper use of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was documented in an opinion from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and is sure to pose challenges for an intelligence community lobbying for the reauthorization for what it sees as one of its most vital tools.
The tool — which allowed for warrantless spying on foreigners located abroad — has long been criticized as a backdoor tool for gaining information on Americans who may be communicating with those being surveilled. . . .
The FISC outlined three examples of instances where FBI personnel conducted searches of “sensitive query terms,” like those of U.S. public officials or candidates, without first seeking approval from the FBI’s deputy director.
At the time we went on the air, the identity of the Senator who was the subject of this illegal surveillance had not been released. All we know so far is that they have been notified. We don’t know if it’s a man, woman, Republican, or even Democrat. But it doesn’t matter. Wrong is wrong. This is completely unacceptable and illegal, regardless of which side of the aisle the Senator resides.
Even Democrat Senator Ron Wyden (OR), an official we don’t often see eye-to-eye with, released a statement demanding transparency and reform of Section 702:
For years, as government officials have provided misleadingly narrow testimony about who is targeted under Section 702, I have pushed to get the government to come clean. The revelation that 702 is used against “foreign governments and related entities” directly impacts Americans’ privacy, as American journalists, businesspeople, students and others all have legitimate reason to communicate with foreign governments. The fact they can be swept up in 702 collection further highlights the need for reforms to protect their privacy.
This is a total misuse of Section 702, which is specifically meant to be used in collecting information on FOREIGN subjects of federal investigations outside of the United States. It is not for the Deep State to spy on a sitting U.S. Senator. Unfortunately, none of this is really new to us. The ACLJ filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in 2022 in response to the FBI’s abuse of Section 702 for its spying on U.S. citizens. But as is par for the course, especially under the Biden Administration, the FBI decided that if it ignored our FOIA, we would just go away. So, as we told you, we filed a lawsuit in federal court to get the records. You can learn more about our case here.
Yet again, the Deep State FBI has shown the world that it cannot be trusted to self-regulate. Everyone involved in this situation needs to be exposed, rooted out, and held accountable.
Today’s full Sekulow broadcast includes more analysis of this latest revelation of FBI corruption and abuse of regulations to spy on Americans. The entire system needs to be revamped, and the ACLJ continues to not only pursue our lawsuit against the Biden FBI but also hold the Deep State accountable.
Watch the full broadcast below: