DC bar restores status of convicted ex-FBI lawyer who deceived the FISA court during Russia probe
Typically, a case like Kevin Clinesmith's would end in disbarment, but not this time
By Sophie Mann
Updated: December 16, 2021 - 2:36pm
Kevin Clinesmith, the former senior FBI lawyer who was placed on probation as a convicted felon for falsifying a surveillance document during the Trump-Russia investigation, has been returned to "good standing" as a member of the D.C. Bar Association.
In August of 2020, Clinesmith pleaded guilty to doctoring an email that was then used to justify a surveillance warrant that targeted former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. As a result, Clinesmith was sentenced in January to 12 months probation, though the D.C. bar did not seek his disbarment.
In June 2017, Clinesmith changed the wording in a CIA email to state that Page was "not a source" for the spy agency, when in fact Clinesmith and the FBI had been informed on multiple occasions that Page had been a CIA asset for years.
Had the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court understood as much, the information would have severely undermined the FBI's argument for electronically monitoring Page on suspicions of him acting as a Russian agent.
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https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/dc-bar-restores-status-convicted-ex-fbi-lawyer-who-deceived-fisa-court-during
