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A declassified House Intelligence Committee memo reveals how the unverified Fusion GPS dossier—opposition research paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC)—was used by the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant to spy on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

The memo details how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) was intentionally left in the dark about the source of the allegations that led it to approve the spy warrant in October 2016.

It reveals that top FBI and DOJ officials signed off on the initial warrant and three subsequent renewals, including President Donald Trump’s deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.

In one instance, the FBI and DOJ used a Yahoo News article based on the Trump dossier as evidence to extend its FISA warrant, despite the unverified information having come from the same source.

The Epoch Times used additional sources, including a declassified top-secret report of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to paint a fuller picture of the apparent abuse of power.

After the initial FISA warrant was approved, hundreds of so-called unmasking requests were made by senior members of then-President Barack Obama’s administration.

It also opened the floodgate to a number of intelligence leaks to media organizations, which served to turn public opinion against Donald Trump.

Continuing well after Trump was elected, the spying and leaking raise serious concerns about apparent efforts by the Obama administration, the DNC, and the Clinton campaign to prevent Trump from being elected and to delegitimize him once he was in office.

The Clinton campaign, together with the Democratic National Committee, financed the so-called Trump dossier produced by Fusion GPS. The dossier, which had been described as “unverified and salacious” in sworn testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, became the driving force of the Russia collusion allegations.

CLINTON CAMPAIGN
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
PERKINSCOIE

An undisclosed amount of money—potentially millions—was paid by the Clinton campaign and the DNC to Fusion GPS. The money was sent through law firm Perkins Coie and mislabeled in FEC filings to avoid detection.

NELLIE OHR
Former CIA researcher, wife of DOJ official Bruce Ohr
Nellie Ohr was hired by Fusion GPS to do opposition research on Trump. This information was concealed from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

KREMLIN SOURCES
The Trump dossier relies almost exclusively on Kremlin-linked sources. Fusion GPS also had previously been hired by the Russian government to do lobbying work against the Magnitsky Act.

FUSIONGPS
Opposition research company Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele and Nellie Ohr to produce the Trump dossier.
CHRISTOPHER STEELE
Former British spy, founding director of Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd.
Steele was paid over $160,000 by the Clinton campaign and the DNC via the law firm Perkins Coie and Fusion GPS. The memo reveals the FBI had also authorized payment to Steele for the same information. Steele was terminated by the FBI as a source after telling media organization Mother Jones about his relationship with the FBI. According to the memo, Steele should have been fired earlier as he had concealed his other relationships with media organizations. After he was terminated by the FBI, Steele maintained contact with the DOJ via senior official Bruce Ohr.

UNMASKING Hundreds of unmasking requests were made to the NSA by Obama officials for the identities of people connected to the Trump team that were otherwise redacted.

U.S. intelligence agencies have strict requirements when conducting spy operations using data acquired under Section 702, to avoid spying on U.S. persons. To avoid violating the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits “unreasonable searches and seizures,” they have “targeting procedures” and “minimization procedures” to limit the scope of spy operations to the specific targets.

An April 26, 2017, declassified report from the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Court shows that violations of these procedures were widespread in the FBI and the NSA under the Obama administration.

According to the report, the NSA had an 85 percent noncompliance rate with applicable minimization procedures for searches it conducted on the communications of U.S. persons.

The so-called Trump dossier produced by Fusion GPS, and paid for by the Clinton campaign and the DNC, became the driving force of the Russia collusion allegations.

FISA SURVEILLANCE WARRANT
The FBI and DOJ used the Trump dossier to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

The agencies did not disclose to the court that Steele was paid by the Clinton campaign and the DNC. They also hid the fact that Steele was working for Fusion GPS.

The FISA surveillance warrant was approved on Oct. 21, 2016. There were three subsequent FISA renewals.

SPYING FOR POLITICAL GAIN
The Trump team was spied on both before and after the elections.

LEAKS FROM OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Multiple selective leaks, aimed at advancing the narrative that Trump colluded with Russia, took place.

FBI Director James Comey would later testify under oath before Congress that most of the information contained in the leaks was inaccurate.

Less than two weeks before leaving office, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that allowed the NSA to widely spread raw intelligence information across agencies. This helped make it easier to leak classified intelligence.

Media organizations were used, through selective leaks, to spread false information that Trump had colluded with Russia.

Fusion GPS also provided a briefing to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Yahoo News, CNN, and The New Yorker. Fusion GPS also made payments directly to a select number of journalists.

The FBI and DOJ then used a Sept. 23, 2016, article by Yahoo News in its FISA extension application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

After becoming deputy attorney general in April 2017, Rosenstein signed off on an extension of a FISA warrant on Trump associate Carter Page. Also, after advising Trump to fire then-FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel.

DEMOCRACY TARGETED

The use of a FISA warrant to spy on a political opponent during, and after, a presidential race, raises serious concerns about abuse of power at the highest levels of the FBI, DOJ, and Obama administration.

These matters are now under investigation by the DOJ inspector general, as well as several committees in Congress.

The FBI used the Trump dossier to apply for a FISA surveillance warrant on Trump team volunteer Carter Page.

Comey signed three FISA applications to spy on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

McCabe confirmed to the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI would not have been able to apply for the FISA warrant without the Trump dossier.

Priestap testified to the House Intelligence Committee that the Trump dossier was in its “infancy” when used for the initial FISA warrant application.

Strzok opened a counterintelligence investigation in July 2016 based on information on Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos.

The DOJ filed a FISA surveillance application on behalf of the FBI in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Lynch served as attorney general when the FISA application was made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Yates signed off at least one time on a FISA warrant application or extension on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

Ohr met multiple times with Christopher Steele, who was hired by Fusion GPS to produce the Trump dossier—even after Steele was terminated as an FBI source.

Rosenstein signed off on at least one FISA warrant extension on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

Boente signed off at least one time on a FISA warrant application or extension on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

High-profile officials within the Obama administration made hundreds of so-called unmasking requests for the identities of members of Trump’s team.

ROBERT MUELLER

SPECIAL COUNSEL

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller on May 17, 2017, as special counsel to investigate allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

FBI agent Peter Strzok was fired by special counsel Robert Mueller after thousands of text messages sent between Strzok and Lisa page, in which they showed a clear bias against Trump, were revealed.

PETER STRZOK

LISA PAGE

Text messages sent between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page revealed their clear bias in favor of Hillary Clinton and against Donald Trump

According to the memo, the texts had also revealed how they orchestrated leaks to the media, and a meeting they had with deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe in which they discussed an “insurance policy” against President Donald Trump’s election.

THE EPOCH TIMES

Beyond the Memo

An infographic based on the declassified House Intelligence Committee memo, a declassified FISC report, and public records on how the Trump team was spied on