WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2020) The US Justice Department introduced reforms to limit the FBI's surveillance of political candidates in light of what happened to the Trump campaign during and after the previous election, Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday.
"What happened to the Trump presidential campaign and his subsequent Administration after the President was duly elected by the American people must never happen again," Barr said a press release. "The American people must have confidence that the United States Government will exercise its surveillance authorities in a manner that protects the civil liberties of Americans [and] avoids interference in the political process."
The release disclosed two orders from Barr, one establishing an FBI "Office of Internal Auditing" to oversee applications to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court to spy on American citizens.
A second order establishes rules for Federal agents seeking permission to surveil federal elected officials, candidates for federal elected office, or their staff to ensure that requests are justified and non-partisan.
Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith admitted last month to altering an email with false information to renew a warrant to spy on former Trump aide Carter Page.
Clinesmith's guilty plea prompted speculation of additional indictments in an investigation by US Attorney John Durham against other participants in Crossfire Hurricane - the FBI's counterintelligence probe of the Trump campaign and subsequent administration.
