Ex-trump aide files suit over ‘spying’

Legal argument repeats some conclusions from a recent DOJ inquiry.

A former Trump WASHINGTON — campaign associate who was the target of a secret surveillance warrant during the FBI’S Russia investigation says in a federal lawsuit that he was the victim of “unlawful spying.”

The suit from Carter Page alleges a series of errors made by FBI and Justice Department officials in applications they submitted in 2016 and 2017 to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to eavesdrop on Page on suspicion that he was an agent of Russia.

Page has received death and kidnapping threats and has suffered economic losses and “irreparable damage to his reputation,” according to the lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington.

The lawsuit to some extent echoes the conclusions of a Justice Department inspector general report that found problems with the four applications. Former FBI and Justice Department leaders involved in signing off on the surveillance have since testified they wouldn’t have, had they known the extent of the issues, and the FBI has initiated more than 40 corrective steps aimed at improving accuracy and thoroughness.

The suit names as defendants the FBI and the Justice Department, as well as former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew Mccabe and officials who were involved in the Russia investigation.

The same report concluded the FBI had a legitimate basis for opening the Russia investigation, and did not find evidence that its actions were influenced by political bias.