Supreme Court declines to revive Carter Page lawsuit over surveillance
11 reported
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to revive a lawsuit from Carter Page, a former aide to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign who was the target of secret surveillance during the FBI’s Russia investigation. Page had settled with the U.S. for $1.25 million but wanted to continue a lawsuit against former FBI director James Comey and other former officials alleging “unlawful spying” during the probe into whether Trump’s campaign had conspired with Russia. Lower courts had dismissed the lawsuit in part because Page had not sued the people who carried out the surveillance. The Supreme Court’s brief order did not detail their reasoning for declining the case. Page alleged omissions and errors in surveillance applications submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2016 and 2017. Former FBI and Justice Department leaders involved in signing off on the surveillance have since said they would not have done so had they known the extent of the issues, and the FBI has said it initiated more than 40 corrective steps. The scrutiny of Page accounted for only a narrow portion of the overall investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
What’s reported
The Supreme Court refused to revive a lawsuit from Carter Page, an aide to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Page settled with the U.S. for $1.25 million but wanted to continue a lawsuit against former FBI director James Comey and other former officials.
Lower courts dismissed the lawsuit in part because Page had not sued the people who carried out the surveillance.
The Supreme Court’s brief order did not detail their reasoning for declining the case.
Page alleged omissions and errors in surveillance applications submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2016 and 2017.
Former FBI and Justice Department leaders involved in signing off on the surveillance have said they would not have done so had they known the extent of the issues.
The FBI has said it initiated more than 40 corrective steps aimed at improving the accuracy and thoroughness of applications.
The scrutiny of Page accounted for only a narrow portion of the overall investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
An investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia interfered on Trump’s behalf during the 2016 campaign and that the campaign welcomed the assistance, but did not find sufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy.
Page settled with the Trump administration in April, as his Supreme Court appeal was pending.
The settlement came the month after a roughly $1.2 million settlement with Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser.
Key figures
Carter Page: former aide to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign
James Comey: former FBI director
Michael Flynn: former Trump national security adviser
Robert Mueller: special counsel
Sources: abcnews.com
