Key Takeaways:
- A coordinated effort by President Obama and his national security team sought to discredit the election of Donald Trump in 2016.
- A false Intelligence Community Assessment – known to be false – was the premise for launching an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
- After FBI Director James Comey was fired, Robert Mueller was appointed Special Counsel to direct the FBI’s investigation.
- The FBI abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant application process by excluding exculpatory information about U.S. citizens Mueller wanted to investigate.
- Newly declassified FBI documents reveal that Walid Phares – a Lebanese-American – was wrongly investigated for 12 months.
- The personal disgrace and harm caused by false accusations and unjustified surveillance is not a concern of the intelligence services.
- Because of the misuse of FISA and its use to violate the privacy rights of U.S. citizens, it should be abolished.
Political targeting to destroy your opposition should not happen.
But it did.
The FBI and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court targeted “political enemies” – Conservatives, Republicans, and Donald Trump.
We now know that false information was given to the FISA Court to obtain warrants to spy on individuals close to President Trump.
We warned you about this abuse of power by the FBI as it was happening.
But the spying was more extensive than we knew… until now.
The collateral damage to U.S. citizens caused by the unprecedented and corrupt FBI spying was worse than we ever imagined.
Newly declassified and released FBI documents reveal the horrific personal damage caused by an unjustified and unfair FBI investigation.
Such a blatant abuse of power must never again be permitted to occur.
Here are7 progressive Steps explaining how it happened, and how to prevent it from ever happening again:
Step 1: The Setup.
On January 6, 2017 – before President-elect Trump’s inauguration – President Obama directed his national security team to create an Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) report they knew was false.
The ICA promoted a contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
It said, “Putin aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances, when possible, by discrediting Secretary Clinton.”[1]
Step 2: The Plot Strategy.
The strategy was to cast doubt on the integrity of the 2016 election…
And to convince the American public that Donald Trump had “stolen” the election from Hillary Clinton… making him an illegitimate president.
The false ICA report ordered by President Obama was the vehicle to be used.
FBI Director James Comey was put in charge of investigating the Russian interference claimed in the ICA report.
President Trump suspected dishonesty – a “witch hunt” – and fired Comey.
Eight days later, Robert Mueller is appointed Special Counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Robert Mueller is assigned to:
- Conduct the investigation previously confirmed by then-FBI Director James Comey.
- Investigate any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.[2]
- And more…
Step 3: The FBI Spying Abuse.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) authorizes electronic surveillance or searches when there is probable cause that the target is an agent of a foreign power.
A FISA warrant for surveillance – an application to spy on someone – is submitted to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) for approval.
The “probable cause” standard is much higher for U.S. citizens…
At least in theory it is.
But not in practice.
We’ve all heard about the FISA warrants and renewals for:
- Paul Manafort – Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman
- Carter Page – 2016 Trump campaign foreign policy advisor
- George Papadopoulos – 2016 Trump campaign foreign policy advisor
- Michael Flynn – President-elect Trump’s pick for National Security Advisor
But until recently, we didn’t know about Walid Phares – a 68-year-old Lebanese-American scholar.
A Washington DC-based FBI agent was assigned to investigate him during the Mueller probe.
The false allegation against him originated with the CIA under John Brennan…
A 2016 report alleged he had taken a $10 million bribe from the Egyptian government intended for the Trump campaign during a meeting in Cairo.
Just as in other FISA surveillance warrants, the FBI withheld from the court evidence exonerating Phares from being a necessary surveillance target.
As a result of being misled, the FISC authorized the FBI to electronically monitor Phares for 12 months between 2017 and 2018.
They told his lawyer that he was only a “witness” and that they only needed some information.[3]
Step 4: The Personal Harm.
When an American citizen and patriot becomes the target of FBI surveillance, his or her life and reputation are ruined.
The legal costs are outrageous and often unaffordable.
The damage is irrepairable.
FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors grilled Walid Phares for a year.
They questioned his employer.
They went after his bank records.
As a result:
- He lost his job
- He lost his livelihood – his career
- He lost his bank accounts and credit card when Wells Fargo cancelled them
- He lost a Fox News contract as an expert on terrorism and the Middle East – a contract he had held since 2007.[4]
“It was like a disaster for me financially and physically,” he said.
“They scared the agencies from me so I would have problems with (obtaining) a security clearance.”[5]
Step 5: The Indifference.
Investigators could find nothing criminal on Phares during their probe.
In fact, they concluded he was honest.
But they continued to secretly spy on him anyway.
They violated the law by not providing the FISA court any of the exculpatory evidence…
Evidence which would have cleared him and ended the surveillance authorization.
The FBI agent in charge of investigating Phares said’ “There was a ‘let’s get him’ attitude among prosecutors on Mueller’s team.” [6]
Step 6: The Fight for Justice.
Walid Phares intends to sue the FBI and the Justice Department for damages.
Carter Page – who was never charged with a crime – is now suing the FBI and the DOJ for $75 million for violating his constitutional rights against improper searches and seizures.
His case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court…
But the DOJ’s solicitor general has repeatedly delayed filing a response to his petition.
The Court has set the next filing deadline for April 22.
Michael Flynn – who maintained his innocence for 8 months to the accusation of making false statements to the FBI – was eventually coerced into a plea bargain agreement.
His decorated military career was destroyed.
He was forced to resign as President Trump’s National Security Advisor.
Last month he was awarded a $1.25 million settlement from the U.S. government under a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) lawsuit.
Step 7: The Remedy.
Every conflict in life should have a resolution.
Every abuse of power in politics or government needs a remedy.
Civil-rights watchdogs have called the horrific spying violations against Carter Page the worst abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act since it was enacted more than 45 years ago.
Perhaps the FISA abuse inflicted on Walid Phares was worse.
How can this abuse be prevented in the future?
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorizes the FBI to spy on Americans if they are suspected of having political ties to a foreign government.
Section 702 expires this month – April 20th – unless reauthorized by Congress.[7]
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders are in favor of a “clean” extension of Section 702.
Those in favor of FISA claim that it helps thwart terrorist acts and cyberattacks.
But thwarting those activities belongs under national defense, not under FISA.
FISA needs to be abolished and replaced with something that protects American citizens from invasion of privacy and destruction of reputation and livelihood.
Action Items:
- Sign our FISA petition. Click HERE.
- Call or write to House Speaker Mike Johnson and to your Congressional Representative and let them know your opinion about FISA and how it’s being used to spy on Americans unconstitutionally.
- Get my book, The Deep State: 15 Surprising Dangers You Should Know. Chapter 5 deals with the weaponization of the U.S. intelligence agencies including the FBI, and how the FISA warrant application system is abused.Click HERE to order the book online.You can order the book on Amazon HERE.
Or get the audiobook version HERE and on Kindle HERE.
You can also get an autographed edition online HEREor by phone at 615-814-6633 (M-F 10 am to 3 pm).
You can also send a check for $26.13 (including shipping) payable to Media Specialists and send it to this address:
Media Specialists
1313 4th Ave N
Nashville, TN 37208
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
FAQs:
Q: What is the main claim of this article?
A: The U.S. intelligence agencies—particularly the FBI—were used in a coordinated effort to undermine the presidency of Donald Trump and investigate his associates using improper surveillance authorizations.
Q: What was wrong with the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) issued in January 2017?
A: It was knowingly false. It contradicted an independent ICA from December 8, 2016 which indicated that no Russian activity during the 2016 election cycle impacted the vote count.
Q: What is FISA and how was it misused?
A: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows the government to conduct surveillance on individuals suspected of acting on behalf of foreign powers. FISA surveillance warrants were obtained improperly by omitting key exculpatory evidence exonerating the individuals targeted.
Q: Why was Robert Mueller appointed as Special Counsel?
A: FBI Director James Comey – who began the investigation of Russian interference in the election – was fired by President Trump. Mueller was appointed to continue and to expand the investigation.
Q: Who is Walid Phares, and what happened to him?
A: He is a Lebanese-born American citizen who was falsely accused of accepting bribe from the Egyptian government. He was investigated for 12 months due to the FBI withholding exculpatory evidence from the FISA court. He lost his job, his contract with Fox News as a Middle East expert, his bank account and credit card, and more.
Q: Can anything be done to prevent the abuse of the FISA warrant system in the future?
A: Yes. Allowing Section 702 of the Act to expire would be a start. Reforming the surveillance authorization process to require exculpatory evidence would be better. The best solution would be to abolish FISA and start over.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a longtime direct-response marketing strategist and publisher who focuses on the intersection of faith, politics, culture, and economic freedom. He is president of ElectionForum.org and the founder of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG), where his team has tested thousands of marketing variables and earned more than 100 industry awards. Craig publishes commentary at CraigHuey.com and co-hosts media projects that equip Americans to understand what’s happening—and what to do next.
[1] https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2025/4090-pr-18-25
[2] https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/press-release/file/967231/dl
[3] Paul Sperry, https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/03/20/fbi_misled_court_to_spy_on_second_trump_campaign_adviser_1171646.html?mc_cid=823b624d2f&mc_eid=18dbaaf564
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-key-intelligence-law-expires-in-april-and-the-path-for-reauthorization-is-unclear/