Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in an interview aired Sunday the process used by the FBI to obtain warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will be investigated after allegations of abuses of power committed by the agency under the Obama administration.
“Let me tell you, every FISA warrant based on facts submitted to that court has to be accurate,” Sessions told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” regarding the FISA Court, which adjudicates applications to gather information on foreign operatives on U.S. soil.
“That will be investigated and looked at, and we are not going to participate at the Department of Justice in providing anything less than the proper disclosure to the court before they issue a FISA warrant,” he continued.
The Republican memo drafted by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., which was released to the public earlier in February, outlined how the FBI and Justice Department applied to spy on former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page using information from the mostly unverified Trump-Russia dossier compiled by ex-spy Christopher Steele.
GOP and Democratic lawmakers disagree over whether the FISA court was made aware of how the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign were among the dossier’s financial backers.
While he said had no control over whether a special counsel was appointed to investigate the matter, Sessions added the DOJ’s inspector general was working hard on his probe and that the department would continue to be open and transparent with Congress.
Earlier in February, Sessions said he would make sure the Justice Department deals with the issues raised in the memo, saying no department was “perfect.”
“I am determined that we will fully and fairly ascertain the truth,” he said.
