In the wake of a critical report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealing serial abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court by FBI agents seeking spy warrants against a member of the 2016 Trump campaign, a GOP senator wants the president to declassify the applications.
“The Inspector General report showed the FBI was willing to do anything in order to spy on Carter Page, including making 17 significant inaccuracies and omissions. The American public deserves to know everything the FBI did,” Kennedy said in a statement Friday obtained by .
“I’m asking President Trump to declassify the entire record so that Attorney General Barr and FBI Director Wray can release it to the American people,” he continued.
“If the FBI wants to continue the employment of rogue, politically-motivated agents, then let the public read the entire record.”
Horowitz released his report on Monday, though heavily redacted versions were released last year, The Epoch Times reported.
Horowitz’s investigators found that FBI officials made 17 “significant errors or omissions” in applying to the court to spy on Page, a former CIA asset, and a number of other errors under Woods Procedures, or internal guidelines on how to apply for FISA approval.
Horowitz also testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that his team did not find any political motivations or bias in launching a surveillance campaign against Page, though Republicans say the evidence is clear that bias existed.
During the hearing, Kennedy — a panel member — said, “This has got to be fixed. At a minimum, somebody’s got to be fired.”
“Agree completely,” Horowitz replied. “There’s got to be a change in the culture, also.”
In May, Trump authorized Attorney General William Barr to declassify the FISA Court applications filed by FBI agents, some under the direction of former Director James Comey.
“Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,” Trump said at the time.
Barr has yet to do so, however, and it’s not clear why. Some speculate that he hasn’t done so because U.S. Attorney John Durham is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the Trump campaign surveillance.
Great idea!
Declassify all the FISA applications that were criminally obtauned!