emptywheel

Something those who observe CT cases closely have long suspected, btw, is that FISA orders against Muslim defendants OFTEN rely on evidence from paid consultants. Their motive is, in part, $$.

More problematic still, is suspicion that same consultant who fed FISA app gets called as "expert" (in CT cases, the term is often loosely applied) witnesses. Garbage in for $$, garbage out for $$. This is a real concern.

Whatever else you think about Christopher Steele (and I'm the left's biggest skeptic!) he's got more expertise than some of the consultants suspected of playing both sides in CT cases. And THOSE defendants never got FISA review. & Congress never gave a shit that they didn't.

Lost on defenders of Trump is the veracity of the underlying information. Would they defend a terrorist under the same legal arguments they are making?

Or Chinese-Americans, the *other* adversary nation FISA is used with all the time. Nunes' district is > 7% Asian. And yet he didn't seem to care abt them being disproportionately targeted under 702 when he pushed that through.

They are unwittingly setting dangerous legal precedents. Nothing they seem concerned about.