FISAgate is a Legitimate Scandal

I have no idea where this Trump/Russia scandal will end. The stories on it are heavily conflicting and often turn out to not even be true a couple days later. But one issue that seems to need more discussion is the FISA warrants used to basically spy on members of the Trump campaign. Some people suggest that even talking about this is somehow distracting or undermining the Russia investigation which is a..... interesting way to look at things.



In fact, what seems to have happened with these FISA warrants is pretty disturbing. It seems more and more clear that the basis for obtaining FISA warrants used by intelligence agencies to spy on the Trump campaign was, at least in large part, this dossier. The dossier that was funded by anti Trump Republicans and then later the Clinton campaign.



Take a step back. It seems that the intelligence community, during the rule of the Obama administration, used uncorroborated opposition research funded by his preferred successor's campaign in order to get FISA warrants to spy on the opposing major parties campaign. I'm not suggesting some huge conspiracy. But, those facts alone should raise a ton of red flags.



There's been some talk about the basis for the investigation actually being George Papadopoulos making some comment to an Australian diplomat and then the Australian diplomat reporting that to the FBI. I don't doubt this happened but for some perspective, Papadopoulos was 29 years old and supposedly drunk when this alleged conversation took place. A second hand report of a drunken 29 year old's bragging being the only basis for starting a major investigation might be even a more embarrassing (but perhaps less sinister) story than the dossier. Of course, people with knowledge have all but admitted that without the dossier there wouldn't have been FISA warrants. So this Australian diplomat story might very well be true, but that doesn't change the fact that the dossier was clearly the major, or at least a major, basis for getting these FISA warrants.



Again, we will all have to wait and see what comes of this Russia investigation. But, this usage of the dossier to obtain FISA warrants should raise all sorts of red flags for anyone who cares about civil liberties, transparency, and abuse of power for partisan purposes in governmental institutions.