{"id":2492,"date":"2021-06-17T20:41:02","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T00:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawflog.com\/?p=2492"},"modified":"2021-06-17T21:37:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-18T01:37:58","slug":"national-security-agency-to-release-records-about-americans-illegally-spied-on-by-fbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawflog.com\/?p=2492","title":{"rendered":"National Security Agency to release records about Americans illegally spied on by FBI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Buckle up, kids. The National Security Agency has agreed to produce records about the FBI’s illegal snooping on 16,000 Americans, according to a letter that I received from the NSA<\/a> this afternoon, and that suggests a political fight between the two agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Four months ago, the FBI refused to even search for records about the illegal surveillance, which was first made public on September 4, 2020<\/a>, when the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court released a December 2019 order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg outlining the FBI’s abuses. In a February 3, 2021 letter<\/a> responding to my Freedom of Information Act request, FBI Section Chief Michael G. Seidel made the absurd claim that my request did “not contain enough descriptive information to permit a search of our records.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, Judge Boasberg was able to determine who the 16,000 Americans were, and note that I sent the exact same letter<\/a> to the FBI that I sent to the NSA, specifically referencing Judge Boasberg’s order: [cont. on p.2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

…On behalf of The Transparency Project, and as authorized by the Freedom of Information Act, I write to request all documents, records and other tangible evidence reflecting improper surveillance of the [16,000] individuals described above. This request includes, but is not limited to, records reflecting the names and addresses of each such individual, the dates of each improper data search or surveillance, and the search terms employed. This request further includes, but is not limited to, records identifying (1) each and every person involved in improper searches \/ surveillance of each of the roughly 16,000 individuals, and (2) the public or private entities who employed the persons conducting the searches or surveillance.<\/p>

On behalf of The Transparency Project, I further request the opportunity to view all documents, records, and other tangible evidence reflecting whether information from the searches \/ surveillance of the foregoing 16,000 individuals was shared with any persons or entities outside of the FBI, CIA, NSA or ODNI. If, for example, the search results were shared with private contractors, members of Congress, or foreign governments, then records reflecting that should be produced.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As you may recall, Admiral Mike Rogers tried to shut down FBI access to the NSA database<\/a> in 2016 (while he was serving as NSA director) after learning that FBI contractors were illegally searching the database. Over at The Conservative Treehouse<\/em>, Sundance has built a solid case that FBI contractors were exploiting the NSA database<\/a> for opposition research on political enemies (also see here<\/a> and here<\/a> and here<\/a>). One of the contractors with access to the NSA database, for example, appears to be Fusion GPS<\/a>, which helped Christopher Steele produce the infamous “Russian collusion” dossier. In fact, it appears that one of the mistakes in Steele’s report, i.e.<\/em>, that President Trump’s personnel attorney Michael Cohen made a trip to Prague, was the result of an illegal search of the NSA database<\/a> (which produced travel records for the wrong “Michael Cohen”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the history of animosity between the FBI and NSA over misuse of the database, I cannot help but wonder whether the NSA is taking a shot at the FBI by preemptively producing the records that the FBI refused to produce, i.e.<\/em>, records of the FBI’s ongoing illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens. The FBI is downright dangerous, and perhaps some patriots at the NSA recognize that. Consider, for example, the growing evidence that the FBI not only infiltrated but helped orchestrate the January 6, 2021 “insurrection”<\/a> at the U.S. Capitol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate FOIA request, I have asked for records of illegal surveillance dating back to the beginning of the Obama Administration. It is widely known that the Obama Administration used government resources to spy on the Trump campaign<\/a>, but sources have told me for several years that Obama & Co. were spying on every candidate in the 2016 election, from Ted Cruz to Bernie Sanders, all for the purpose of helping Hillary Clinton. If you go all the way back to 2008, the number of Americans illegally surveilled could be far higher than 16,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A LONG HISTORY OF DIRTY TRICKS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was infamous for controlling politicians — including presidents — because he maintained blackmail on most of official Washington. His successors now have access to far more information than Hoover could have imagined, and that potentially gives them leverage over thousands of Americans. I’m particularly curious about whether the FBI has been illegally surveilling federal judges. Imagine, for example, if one or more U.S. district judges in Washington, D.C. were having extramarital affairs, taking money under the table, or hanging around with Jeffrey Epstein. The NSA would have intercepted any incriminating communications, and the FBI would have access to all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take it one step further. A lot of attorneys have expressed dismay that the once-respected U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan went on such a crazy jihad against Gen. Michael Flynn, the first victim of the whole “Russian collusion” scam. Was the FBI pulling Judge Sullivan’s strings? And why do Judge Boasberg and other D.C. judges keep authorizing data intercepts when they know that they FBI is systematically and illegally misusing that data? Better yet, why are so many federal judges in D.C. holding people without bail and in solitary confinement for the misdemeanor offense<\/em> of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021? Even hard-core leftists like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have expressed concern about the draconian treatment of protestors who were not violent and had no previous criminal record. So what is motivating otherwise liberal judges to suddenly behave like Stalinist apparatchiks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m not alleging that the FBI is blackmailing the federal judiciary, but I am saying that possibility needs to be investigated thoroughly. Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman recently reminded me of his initial success<\/a> in getting a temporary restraining order in 2013 that barred the NSA’s mass data collection on Fourth Amendment grounds. The U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the temporary restraining order but sent the case back to Judge Leon for further proceedings. Thereafter, according to Larry, Judge Leon made a 180-degree turn and was very hostile to the same arguments that he previously found so compelling. Larry said he asked Judge Leon pointblank whether he had been contacted ex parte<\/a><\/em> by any intelligence agencies, but Judge Leon refused to answer the question. (Incidentally, Judge Leon is a long-time friend of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta, and Judge Leon has run interference to protect the FBI’s narrative<\/a> about the 2016 publication of Clinton’s emails by Wikileaks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of FBI chicanery, read today’s post<\/a> in The Gateway Pundit<\/em> about the FBI’s attempts to hide documents related to the Wikileaks fiasco. And consider this recent court filing<\/a> about the FBI’s ongoing attempts to hide records about murdered DNC employee Seth Rich (the FBI has gone so far as to lie to federal courts). Tucker Carlson is right about the FBI: it’s dirty, dirty, dirty, and it may be the single greatest threat to our individual liberties<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>