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The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Wednesday granted the Justice Department a one-week extension to give details about court-ordered reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“The government, through counsel, orally requested a one-week extension of the time to provide such information, in view of modified staffing and telework practices occasioned by the COVID-19 outbreak,” Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the FISA court, wrote, The Washington Examiner reported. “Accordingly, the government’s time to provide such information is hereby extended.”
FISA court blocks FBI agents linked to Carter Page probe from seeking wiretaps, other surveillance
Late last year, the inspector general found at least 17 "significant inaccuracies and omissions" in the application to get a warrant to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s nearly 500-page report was also sharply critical at times of the FBI’s handling of the case, including failing to share information.
Earlier this month, Boasberg largely approved revisions that the FBI said it would make to its process for seeking wiretaps – in reaction to Horowitz's report.
Among the problems, Boasberg noted, were that the FBI had "omitted or mischaracterized" various "information bearing on [former British spy Christopher] Steele's personal credibility and professional judgment."
Boasberg told the Justice Department to provide details about proposed FISA reforms in March and asked for a report on “improving DOJ proactiveness in ensuring the completeness of FISA applications,” according to the Examiner.
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The deadline was pushed from March 27 to April 3, the Examiner reported.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio, Ronn Blitzer and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
