Day: October 7, 2025

#FBI surveilled the US  #politicians  #ROUTINELY, regardless what party is the ruling administration.

While some specific instances of FBI surveillance of U.S. politicians have come to light, the claim that the FBI routinely surveils politicians of all parties is not substantiated. The FBI operates under a strict legal framework designed to prevent unwarranted spying on American citizens, including elected officials. However, reports from oversight bodies, watchdog groups, and news organizations have documented instances of improper use of surveillance tools. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] 
Improper use of surveillance authority • Section 702 abuses: FBI agents have been found to have conducted unauthorized “backdoor” searches of a massive database collected under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The searches were intended for foreign intelligence but improperly queried information on U.S. citizens, including at least one member of Congress.
• Widespread violations: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) has acknowledged “persistent and widespread” violations by the FBI regarding its own rules for querying the Section 702 database. In one case, an FBI analyst queried the database using the name of a U.S. senator.
• Targeting of political groups: Oversight reports and internal files have shown that the FBI’s election-related investigations, under administrations of both parties, have at times targeted Republican-aligned groups in an overbroad manner. For example, the “Arctic Frost” probe was revealed to have swept up nearly 100 Republican entities in 2022. [1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11] 

Historical context • J. Edgar Hoover era: Under former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, the bureau engaged in systematic and politically-motivated surveillance of American public figures and organizations, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., members of Congress, and Supreme Court justices.
• The Church Committee: In the 1970s, the Senate’s Church Committee exposed these intelligence abuses, leading to reforms intended to prevent such targeting in the future. [12, 13, 14, 15, 16] 

Modern legal safeguards and ongoing issues • Legal framework: Today, the FBI is required to show cause to the FISC to obtain a warrant to surveil an American citizen suspected of being a “foreign power or agent of a foreign power,” rather than for general criminal purposes. This is intended to prevent routine surveillance of Americans, including politicians.
• Congressional oversight and reform: There is an ongoing debate in Congress over reforming surveillance laws like Section 702 to add more safeguards for Americans’ privacy. This includes adding a warrant requirement to prevent the “backdoor” searching of U.S. person data.
• Calls for accountability: Critics from both sides of the political aisle point to improper searches as a sign of institutional problems at the bureau and a need for greater accountability. The FBI and Department of Justice have implemented corrective actions and internal reforms to prevent improper use of surveillance tools. [6, 7, 11, 13, 17, 18, 19] 

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1]  judiciary.senate.gov/press/r…
[2]  pbs.org/newshour/politics/de…
[3]  aclu.org/news/national-secur…
[4]  washingtonpost.com/national-…
[5]  aclu.org/news/national-secur…
[6]  politico.com/news/2023/07/21…
[7]  bja.ojp.gov/program/it/priva…
[8]  judiciary.house.gov/media/pr…
[9]  rollcall.com/2023/07/24/fbi-…
[10]  brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
[11]  brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
[12]  intelligence.senate.gov/wp-c…
[13]  congress.gov/118/meeting/hou…
[14]  aclu.org/sites/default/files…
[15]  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_s…
[16]  brennancenter.org/media/197/…
[17]  brennancenter.org/our-work/a…
[18]  aclu.org/press-releases/cong…
[19]  pbs.org/newshour/politics/se…

– Google Search  google.com/search?q=FBI+surv…

Pic.:
Q & A: US Warrantless Surveillance Under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act  …

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Oct 7, 2025