A newly released document from Sen. Chuck Grassley adds a significant and troubling dimension to what was previously known about the conduct of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, a central figure in the surveillance of Trump campaign associates during the Russia collusion investigation. Clinesmith had already pleaded guilty to falsifying evidence in connection with a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant targeting Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The new information shows that his misconduct was not limited to a single target, but was part of a broader, systematic pattern of abuse that extended to another investigation against Trump adviser Walid Phares.
Phares, a scholar of jihadist ideology who advised both the Romney campaign in 2012 and the Trump campaign in 2016, has received far less public attention than Page. Yet the newly disclosed material reveals that the same investigative approach was applied in his case. The Grassley document shows that Clinesmith played a central role in the FISA process targeting Phares over alleged foreign ties. As with the Page surveillance, the Phares warrants were repeatedly renewed, even though investigators had found no evidence supporting the allegations.
