FBI abused surveillance tool against George Floyd protesters, Jan. 6 suspects, filing shows

The FBI violated civil liberties against George Floyd protesters and Jan. 6 participants through the improper use of a surveillance tool, according to a filing from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) unsealed Friday, that undercuts claims by FBI Director Christopher Wray that the bureau had reformed its process for using it.

The revelation is certain to place pressure on Congress, which must decide this year whether to renew the law permitting the bureau's use of the Section 702 database. The April 2022 opinion from the FISC, which the Washington Post obtained, indicated that the bureau had improperly made use of the database more than 278,000 times, including against the aforementioned groups, crime victims, and political donors.

The FBI insists it has reformed its use of the database, though the bureau's critics, among them conservative lawmakers, have questioned the validity of those assertions.

"Chris Wray told us we can sleep well at night because of the FBI's so-called FISA reforms. But it just keeps getting worse," said House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to Just the News.

The FBI may only access the Section 702 database when seeking information related to foreign intelligence or evidence of crimes. The database includes countless electronic communications and other materials that the bureau may search for those purposes.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.