Ex-FBI Lawyer's Testimony Is Hugely Damaging to Media's 'There Was No Deep State Spying' Narrative
Former FBI lawyer James Baker gave two testimonies to the House Judiciary Committee that are extremely damaging to the establishment media’s narrative that the deep state didn’t spy on President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Baker’s testimonies were given in October 2018 and finally released by Republican Rep. Doug Collins on Wednesday.
Under questioning by the committee, Baker refused to answer Republican Rep. Mark Meadows about whether Trump or individuals connected to his campaign were spied on with warrants issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The court was established by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to protect American citizens from being spied on by the government.
The former FBI lawyer’s refusal to answer isn’t a confirmation that Trump was spied on with FISA warrants, but it should make anyone skeptical of the claims in the media that Trump wasn’t spied on.
Rep Doug Collins Releases Testimony from FBI Legal Counsel James Baker Day #2…. https://t.co/sjlGTVbLwr pic.twitter.com/Mz6A6kPFMU
— David Pristash (@Centinel2012) April 11, 2019
“As it relates to Russia collusion, this whole — how many FISA applications did you review?” Meadows asked Baker.
Baker’s lawyers, whose names were redacted in the transcript, wouldn’t let him answer.
“I think we will have to instruct the witness not to respond to that,” one lawyer answered.
But Meadows continued to press Baker on the subject, pointing out that text messages recovered between former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe indicate that there were multiple FISA warrants — possibly up to 17 — besides the one against former Trump adviser Carter Page.
“Would it surprise you to know that there were — or is there more FISA applications beyond just the Carter Page FISA application that we’ve been discussing as it relates to this investigation?” Meadows asked.
Again, Baker’s attorneys advised him not to answer.
Still Meadows pressed on. After some back and forth, he asked Baker point blank if FISA-warrant surveillance extended beyond Page.
“Were there other individuals connected directly or indirectly with the Trump campaign that had a FISA warrant placed on them for the purpose of surveilling conversations and collecting data other than Carter Page that you’re aware of?” Meadows pressed.
Again, Baker demurred.
“I’m not going to answer it right now,” Baker said.
Again, Baker’s silence doesn’t necessarily confirm that spying against Trump’s campaign did happen, but it should certainly arouse suspicion.
And this newly released transcript is especially relevant after Attorney General William Barr told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that he thinks spying against Trump’s campaign did occur.
His only question was whether it was justified.
“I think spying did occur,” Barr said. “Yes, I think spying did occur. But the question is whether it was predicated, adequately predicated.”
Meanwhile, establishment media hacks like MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow are pretending the issue of deep state spying is a “conspiracy theory. A writer for the “The MaddowBlog” on Wednesday described it as an “odd tale” taken seriously only by the president’s “most shameless and sycophantic supporters.”
But it’s beginning to look more and more like a reality.
The establishment media should be careful because being wrong about the deep state’s spying.
So soon after the end of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into “Russian collusion,” they’re heading toward destroying what little is left of their credibility.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
