FISA court slams FBI

WASHINGTON—A federal court that approves secret surveillance warrants rebuked the FBI on Tuesday. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which was established and authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, issued a rare public order in response to a U.S. Department of Justice report revealing the bureau made significant errors in its investigation of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Agents cherry-picked data to support wiretapping former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and omitted exculpatory details, according to the review. Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer questioned the reliability of FBI filings and demanded a plan of correction.

What is the FISA court? It consists of 11 federal judges chosen by the chief justice of the United States to review, in secret, requests for surveillance on suspected terrorists or spies. It has come under fire for allowing the government to present one-sided applications for surveillance without providing the opportunity for challenges.

Dig deeper: Read Collyer’s statement about the FBI.