Trump: Was FISA Act Used By ‘Previous Admin’ To Abuse The Trump Campaign?

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 10: U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks in the Oval Office prior to signing the bipartisan Interdict Act, a bill to stop the flow of opioids into the United States, on January 10, 2018 ... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 10: U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks in the Oval Office prior to signing the bipartisan Interdict Act, a bill to stop the flow of opioids into the United States, on January 10, 2018 in Washington, D.C. The Interdict Act will provide Customs and Border Protection agents with the latest screening technology devices used to secure our border from illicit materials, specifically fentanyl, a powerful opioid. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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As the House prepares to vote on the renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act this week, President Donald Trump is questioning whether the law was used to spy on and “abuse” his campaign.

“This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?” he tweeted Thursday morning.

Trump’s tweet is likely referencing the unfounded claims he made this past spring, accusing former President Barack Obama’s administration of “wire tapping” his phones at Trump Tower. The Department of Justice released a motion in September saying the department had no evidence “related to wiretaps as described” by Trump. CNN reported in September that Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was under surveillance by the FISA court through the start of the Trump administration.

The FISA Act allows intelligence officials to surveil the communications of foreign powers or agents of foreign powers outside of the U.S. who may be suspected of espionage or terrorism. The law is scheduled for reauthorization this week, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers are proposing amendments to the legislation that would protect the privacy of Americans, The Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.

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