Fix the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and Punish the Crooks Who Abused It

[Valin]

Townhall

Austin Bay

Feb 12, 2020

Two months have passed since Dec. 9, 2019, the day Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz exposed the profound damage done to a judicial institution vital to successfully defending America in a world of complex threats: the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISC.

The damage done to American public trust in the court is not incidental. Trust is a source of strength, among friends or in the world's most powerful nation. Trust promotes cooperation, which enhances systemic strength. When trust disappears, expect discord seeding division and weakness.

(Snip)

In the past, the public expected responsible reporters to scrutinize government operations. In the FISC saga, contemporary mainstream media served as a PR tool for crooked cops and spies. So-called elite press outfits like The New York Times and The Washington Post unquestioningly touted intelligence leaks that have proven to be false.

Though mainstream media outlets take scant notice, angry calls to disband the court have not faded. The decibels will increase when federal prosecutor John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Russia collusion hoax becomes headline news.

I wager Durham will expose crony government at its worst -- dirty government officials, bureaucrats and agents who are politically exploiting and criminally manipulating the U.S. national security structure to harm their political opponents.

We shall see.

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Time for A Devil's Advocate In The Court?