Letters: Rules should apply to all

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to the editor:

During the era 1960-1980, peaceful protests for civil rights and against the Vietnam War degenerated into conflict. Militant organizations emerged: 1962 Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); in 1966, the Black Panthers; in 1968, the White Panthers; in 1970, the Weathermen. Violence erupted throughout America: the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention; the1968 White Panthers Bombing the CIA office in Ann Arbor; Weathermen bombings in at least eight U.S. cities. During the 1969 Ann Arbor bombing trial, it was revealed the Executive Branch had wiretapped White Panther telephones without a warrant. Constitutional conflict manifested between Presidential responsibility for national security and protester privacy rights. In 1972, the Supreme Court admonished Congress to enact legislation differentiating routine domestic criminal investigations and foreign intelligence surveillance. Consequently, in 1978, Congress ratified The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which provides court-authorized warrants to the Executive for electronic surveillance against foreign agents. FISA warrants are only granted to U.S. government agents, require Attorney General participation, are secret, and are easier to obtain than domestic criminal warrants.

On Dec. 11, 2019, The Inspector General, Dept. Justice, Michael Horowitz, reported 17 errors in FBI’s FISA Applications for secret surveillance against Trump aide, Carter Page. Their application omitted exonerative information that verified Mr. Page is a patriot. Furthermore, they submitted a fabricated dossier in four separate FISA Applications. On Dec. 18, 2019, The FISA Judge, Rosemary Collyer, rebuked the FBI’s misconduct as, “antithetical to the heightened duty of candor” owed to the Court by government agents.

The FBI’s sterling reputation has been tarnished by their FISA chicanery. If the Russians infiltrated the Trump campaign, why not quietly inform Mr. Trump? This didn’t happen! Instead, the FBI pursued secret anti-Trump surveillance. Did FBI leadership commit 17 FISA errors? Or were they 17 intentional frauds? FBI bias is displayed by repeated news leaks damaging to Mr. Trump. In 2016, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe intentionally leaked to the Wall Street Journal disinformation beneficial to the Clinton Foundation. In 2017, Director James Comey leaked disinformation to the New York Times which started a 2½-year wild goose chase special investigation by Robert Mueller. Defrauding the FISA court and leaking disinformation manifests a dangerous attempt to disenfranchise the 2016 voters. Unelected FBI officials should be bound to similar rules for office holders they admire as much as those they don’t admire.

Frank Dunphy

Pittsboro