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Ben Sasse Confronts Comey Over FISA Abuses Under His Leadership: ‘Where Were You?’

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) wants to know what former FBI Director James Comey is most embarrassed by in a stinging report by Justice Department Inspector General Mitchael Horowitz that focused on his agency’s handling of…

Bradley CortrightSep 30, 20203 min read

Watch the video below (Starting at 2:05:30)

Sasse pushed back and noted that he was not focused on just one investigation. He added the Horowitz found errors in the FISA surveillance warrant application in several investigations that dated back as far as 2014.

“I believed the checks and balances in the system were real. You were responsible for those checks and balances. Where were you?” Sasse asked.

Comey said he “took comfort in the complexity of the layers and layers of review and oversight associated with FISA.” However, he argued that the prevalence of the errors in the FISA shows the process began to break down over the years.

“What happened to, I think, is through a lot of years of creating oversight, is responsibility was diffused instead of concentrated in individual human beings,” he said.

Sasse said he found that answer “insufficient.” He went on to say he does not want to impugn the majority of FBI agents. However, he said he believes there was a “culture” at the agency that led many to believe they would not be held accountable for failing to follow the FISA process.

Comey admitted he “did not do enough” to ensure the FISA process was followed and said he had too much confidence in the system. However, he maintained that he believes the diffusion of responsibility in the FISA process led to a breakdown in the oversight system.

Earlier this month, Attorney General William Barr unveiled new restrictions on the FISA warrant process aimed addressing the errors highlighted in Horowitz’ reports, as IJR reported.