DOJ should probe its own Russia-collusion hoax leaks, not Hill staff who exposed them.
Throughout the 2016 campaign and the Trump presidency, leaks poured out of the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) straight to The Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, and other left-wing organizations. Anonymous officials at these federal agencies ran an information operation to falsely accuse President Donald Trump of colluding with Russia to steal the 2016 election.
These leaks included revealing that former FBI head James Comey briefed President Obama and President-elect Trump with false allegations, the criminal disclosure of a phone call between Michael Flynn and his Russian counterpart to falsely portray him as a traitor, and numerous other leaks to create a false narrative.
However, instead of investigating these leaks, including the criminal ones, the DOJ turned its investigative powers on the staff of Congress members who were looking into the Russia-collusion scam.
This week, the nonpartisan whistleblower organization Empower Oversight revealed that the DOJ targeted and surveilled Jason Foster, a Senate staffer leading the investigation into the Russia-collusion hoax, along with other congressional staffers. The DOJ claimed that subpoenas of Foster and other staffers’ personal information were “in connection with recent investigations of alleged unauthorized disclosures of information to the media.”
However, it is highly likely that the DOJ and FBI’s own staff were the actual leakers. Empower explained that if the DOJ did not also subpoena the personal phone and email records of every Executive Branch official who had access to the same information, then “the entire exercise looks more like a pretext to gather intelligence on those conducting oversight of the Department rather than a legitimate classified leak inquiry.”
Foster, who is the founder of Empower, discovered that in September 2017, the DOJ subpoenaed records from a Google Voice telephone number connected to his family’s phones. At the time, Foster was Chief Investigative Counsel to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, and he was investigating the FBI’s role in promoting the debunked Russia-collusion hoax.
Google provided Foster with a copy of the subpoena, which also included requests for records from other redacted Google accounts. Empower Oversight has information indicating that these other accounts belonged to other staffers, both Republicans and Democrats, from U.S. House and Senate committees who were also involved in oversight investigations of the Justice Department at the time.
Empower recounted in its FOIA request that the subpoena compelled Google to release customer or subscriber information, as well as subscribers’ names, addresses, telephone connection records, text message logs, and other details for the period from December 1, 2016, to May 1, 2017.
Both congressional Republicans and Democrats have called for investigations into the DOJ’s subpoenaing of personal information on them, their staff, and even their families. Empower noted that the number the DOJ subpoenaed for Foster was actually used by his wife, who had never communicated with the media using that phone number or any other. The DOJ even sent a subpoena to Apple for the “communications data” of a child.
Empower stated in its FOIA request that there seems to have been a widespread effort to obtain the personal communications records of innocent congressional staffers and their families without a legitimate reason. The organization is now requesting all documents and communications related to the subpoena of Foster’s and other congressional staffers’ information, as well as all grand jury subpoenas in the case.
Empower is also seeking all communications exchanged between members of the press and senior officials within the DOJ regarding various individuals and investigations. Foster mentioned that top officials like Rod Rosenstein, Robert Hur, Edward O’Callaghan, Sarah Isgur, and Jessie Liu would have been involved in approving or overseeing the subpoena on congressional staffers.
Lastly, Empower requested all communications exchanged between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the National Security Division, the Deputy Attorney General’s Office, and/or the FBI and Verizon regarding obtaining communications data associated with devices serviced by Verizon for U.S. House Representatives or U.S. Senate.
Foster explained that Empower singled out Verizon because all government-provided work phones on Capitol Hill use that provider.
The Justice Department claims to be reviewing its use of subpoenas and other legal authorities to obtain communication records of Members of Congress, affiliated persons, and the news media in connection with investigations of alleged unauthorized disclosures of information to the media.
Empower’s FOIA request questions whether the DOJ was equally diligent in seeking the communication records of its own employees who had access to leaked information.
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What implications does the targeting and surveillance of congressional staff members investigating the Russia-collusion hoax have on transparency and justice?
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has come under scrutiny for targeting and surveilling congressional staff members who were investigating the Russia-collusion hoax. In a recent revelation by the nonpartisan whistleblower organization Empower Oversight, it was disclosed that the DOJ had targeted Jason Foster, a Senate staffer leading the investigation into the alleged collusion between President Donald Trump and Russia during the 2016 election.
The DOJ claimed that these subpoenas were in connection with investigations into unauthorized disclosures of information to the media. However, it is highly likely that the DOJ and FBI’s own staff were the actual leakers of this information. Empower Oversight pointed out that if the DOJ did not also subpoena the personal phone and email records of every executive branch official who had access to the same information, then this exercise appears more like a pretext to gather intelligence on those conducting oversight rather than a legitimate leak inquiry.
Foster, who is the founder of Empower, discovered that in September 2017, the DOJ had subpoenaed records from a Google Voice telephone number connected to his family’s phones. At the time, Foster was Chief Investigative Counsel to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, and he was investigating the FBI’s role in promoting the debunked Russia-collusion hoax.
Google provided Foster with a copy of the subpoena, which also included requests for records from other redacted Google accounts. Empower Oversight has information indicating that these other accounts belonged to other congressional staffers from both Republican and Democratic committees who were also involved in oversight investigations of the Justice Department at the time.
The subpoena compelled Google to release customer or subscriber information, as well as subscribers’ names, addresses, telephone connection records, text message logs, and other details for the period from December 1, 2016, to May 1, 2017.
Both congressional Republicans and Democrats have called for investigations into the DOJ’s subpoenaing of personal information on them, their staff, and even their families. Empower noted that the number the DOJ subpoenaed for Foster was actually used by his wife, who had never communicated with the media using that phone number or any other. The DOJ even sent a subpoena to Apple for the “communications data” of a child.
This revelation raises serious concerns about the abuse of power by the DOJ and FBI during the Trump presidency. Instead of investigating the leaks coming from their own ranks, they targeted and surveilled individuals who were trying to uncover the truth behind the Russia-collusion hoax. It is crucial that a thorough investigation is conducted to hold those responsible accountable and to uphold the principles of transparency and justice. The American people deserve to know the truth behind these actions and the extent of the
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