Barr tightens rules on surveillance of political candidates and advisers

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/william-barr-surveillance-trump-campaign/2020/09/01/eacbe088-ec57-11ea-99a1-71343d03bc29_story.html

Attorney General William P. Barr on Tuesday imposed new rules tightening the use of government surveillance on political candidates or their staffers — a move likely to cheer conservatives who have long criticized how the FBI investigated the Trump campaign in 2016.

In a pair of memos, the attorney general said that before the FBI and Justice Department seek a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to secretly monitor the communications of an elected official, a declared political candidate, or any of their staff, official advisers, or informal advisers, officials must first consider warning that person that foreign governments may be targeting them, and if they choose not to give such a warning, the FBI director must spell out in writing the reasons for not doing so.

Barr’s memos speak directly to one of the biggest complaints about the FBI made by President Trump and his supporters — that agents wrongly surveilled former campaign aide Carter Page in 2016.

Republicans have long complained that the FBI’s concerns about Russian attempts to influence people in Trump’s orbit should have been addressed by giving the Trump campaign a briefing about specific individuals who may be of concern. Barr’s memo creates a policy making it more likely the FBI would give such a defensive briefing to politicians or their campaigns. Because counterintelligence investigations are generally closely-held secrets within the government, it’s unclear if Barr’s memos will have any immediate impact on current investigations.

[Bayard]

1. Oh that's just great

Warn the bank robber before he robs the bank that he may get caught.

[Midnight Writer]

2. So two systems of justice, again. This one protects traitors as long if they are campaigning.

We should probably also protect political campaigns from damaging news stories, as well.

Unless they get the go ahead from Barr, of course.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Putin rules!

[moondust]

4. Well yeah.

You catch a campaign insider conspiring with a foreign entity to interfere in an election then of course you'd want to tip them off that their traitorous behavior is being monitored so they can do what's necessary to protect their "interaction" from "outsiders."

[crickets]

5. But of course. nt