| | The evidence against Michael Cohen was gathered by the [[Obama administration]]'s illegal use of [[FISA]] authority. A declassified [[FISA court]] ruling revealed that the Obama administration had abused FISA authority.<ref>On April 26, 2017 DNI [[Dan Coats]] declassified a FISA court ruling exposing a number of criminal activities that Barack Obama’s FBI and DOJ systematically practiced during Obama's time in office. The FISA court ruling shows widespread abuse of the FISA system. According to the court, Obama’s FBI and DOJ routinely performed searches on Americans that violated [[Fourth Amendment]] rights beginning in 2011. The court ruling stated that the improper access of FISA data "seems to have been the result of deliberate decision-making."<br>[https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/icotr/51117/2016_Cert_FISC_Memo_Opin_Order_Apr_2017.pdf United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Memorandum Opinion and Order], April 26, 2017, pp. 78-93.</ref> | | The evidence against Michael Cohen was gathered by the [[Obama administration]]'s illegal use of [[FISA]] authority. A declassified [[FISA court]] ruling revealed that the Obama administration had abused FISA authority.<ref>On April 26, 2017 DNI [[Dan Coats]] declassified a FISA court ruling exposing a number of criminal activities that Barack Obama’s FBI and DOJ systematically practiced during Obama's time in office. The FISA court ruling shows widespread abuse of the FISA system. According to the court, Obama’s FBI and DOJ routinely performed searches on Americans that violated [[Fourth Amendment]] rights beginning in 2011. The court ruling stated that the improper access of FISA data "seems to have been the result of deliberate decision-making."<br>[https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/icotr/51117/2016_Cert_FISC_Memo_Opin_Order_Apr_2017.pdf United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Memorandum Opinion and Order], April 26, 2017, pp. 78-93.</ref> |
| − | The Special Counsel investigation of [[Robert Mueller]] was a continuation of the illegal counterintelligence investigation begun under false pretexts by the Obama FBI against Donald Trump in 2016,<ref>The [[Carter Page]] warrant was granted under FISA Title I authority, the most intrusive, exhaustive and far reaching type of search, seizure and surveillance authority, permitting the FBI to look at every aspect of a target's life. Under the two-hop rule, all communication, travel and contacts of a target can be opened and reviewed. All aspects of any of the target's engagements and their contacts are subject to being secretly monitored. The authority is only granted by the FISA court when the [[Department of Justice]] represents the target as an agent of a foreign power, member of a terrorist organization, weapons smuggling group, or drug cartel. The law requires notification to Congress if the target is an American citizen.</ref> Although the illegal surveillance never did find evidence of Russian collusion, it did come across embarrassing civil matters such as the [[Stormy Daniels]] affair which investigators [[leak]]ed to the media as part of their "insurance policy". | + | The Special Counsel investigation of [[Robert Mueller]] was a continuation of the illegal counterintelligence investigation begun under false pretexts by the Obama FBI against Donald Trump in 2016.<ref>The [[Carter Page]] warrant was granted under FISA Title I authority, the most intrusive, exhaustive and far reaching type of search, seizure and surveillance authority, permitting the FBI to look at every aspect of a target's life. Under the two-hop rule, all communication, travel and contacts of a target can be opened and reviewed. All aspects of any of the target's engagements and their contacts are subject to being secretly monitored. The authority is only granted by the FISA court when the [[Department of Justice]] represents the target as an agent of a foreign power, member of a terrorist organization, weapons smuggling group, or drug cartel. The law requires notification to Congress if the target is an American citizen.</ref> Although the illegal surveillance never did find evidence of Russian collusion, it did come across embarrassing civil matters such as the [[Stormy Daniels]] affair which investigators [[leak]]ed to the media as part of their "insurance policy". |