Nick Givas on February 2, 2018
Republican Rep. Mark Meadows tweeted a walkthrough of a potential political scandal involving the FBI and the Obama Department of Justice spying on the Trump 2016 presidential campaign.
THREAD: Because through all the “memo” news and headlines, it’s critical to remember why this issue is important and why it should matter to everyday Americans
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
What this issue is all about: whether the Department of Justice and FBI, under President Obama, abused their surveillance authority against American citizens and political opponents. Put another way: was the Obama DOJ weaponized to spy on the Trump campaign?
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Remember, in general, the DOJ and FBI spying on American citizens should automatically be met with MAJOR skepticism. That’s what the Fourth Amendment is designed to protect against. When those American citizens are ALSO political opponents? It should raise even more red flags.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Meadows also mentioned the Strzok-Page texts, but he directed focus specifically to the Fusion GPS dossier, paid for by the Democratic National Committee, and how it could be to obtain a “surveillance warrant.”
So, take that principle, and look at what happened in this case. The DOJ spied on Carter Page, an American citizen. Red flag. Carter Page was also part of the Trump campaign. Double red flag. It should automatically raise questions.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Now, pause: we know about the Peter Strzok/Lisa Page texts, the “missing” texts, the McCabe concerns, etc. But this is about more. Focus on the dossier here–the political opposition research project put together by Christopher Steele, Fusion GPS, and the DNC by extension.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Meadows said GOP Rep. Jim Jordan had requested information from the FBI about whether or not authorities used the Russian dossier to obtain a spying warrant, but the Bureau refused to show the congressmen the FISA application.
Quite simply: This infamous “Russian Dossier” was unverified political opposition research paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC. If the Department of Justice used information like that as a key part of getting a surveillance warrant, it would be a HUGE problem
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Now, from what we’ve already known for months, it sure looks like that’s exactly what happened: that the FBI used that very dossier to get a warrant. @Jim_Jordan asked the FBI about it 2 months ago. I asked too. We asked for the FISA application, and the FBI wouldn’t show us.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
We’ve asked repeatedly for information from the FBI, both privately and publicly. We’ve openly told FBI and DOJ officials–if we’re wrong, tell us! Tell us what was in the FISA application. Let us see the document. But we’ve been stonewalled for almost a year.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Meadows said Americans deserve to know if their government is spying on them in secret and recently called for the appointment of a second special counsel to “investigate the investigators.”
So the bottom line is this: if, in 2016, the DOJ and FBI used an unverified, Clinton/DNC paid-for dossier to spy on American citizens (and political opponents) in the Trump campaign, that is as wrong as it gets.
If that happened, Americans deserve to know about it. Period.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
I know we live in a hyper-partisan environment, and I know it can be easy to disregard any inquiry like this as party politics. I understand that.
But this is so far above politics, folks. Lady Justice wears a blindfold. Her scale is supposed to be balanced.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
If any Department of Justice, Republican or Democrat, put their thumb on the scale for the sake of politics–it would undermine the very fabric of who we are as a nation. Americans deserve the truth, one way or the other.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
Last point: If you remember anything from this news cycle, remember: your right as an American to privacy from your government spying on you is critical. It is foundational to who we are as a Republic. Never take that right for granted, no matter the political party you belong to
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 2, 2018
