Minnesota State Wire

Jason Lewis, a former Representative from Minnesota, has said that new evidence indicates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was used to support false intelligence and undermine the will of voters in the Trump-Russia investigation. Lewis made this statement on X.

"DNI Tulsi Gabbard drops the evidence bomb on what some of us already knew was a weaponization of false intel to subvert the will of the people who elected Donald Trump," said Lewis. "Here's the backstory on Russiagate spying scandal and how FISA enabled it."

The FISA controversy is intricately linked to the Trump-Russia investigation. Critics have alleged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) misused FISA warrants to monitor Trump campaign aide Carter Page. This has led to bipartisan calls for reform and ongoing debates over intelligence oversight. As reported by NPR, this issue has prompted Justice Department audits and contentious congressional hearings concerning civil liberties and the future of FISA.

According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, there were 1,081 FISA warrant applications in 2017, which was during the peak year of the Trump administration. The approval rate stood at 98%, consistent with the court’s long-standing trend of approving most government surveillance requests.

A 2024 Congressional Research Service review found that congressional support for FISA reauthorization has declined since 2016. House support dropped from 80% in 2018 to just 59% in 2024, highlighting rising bipartisan skepticism and concerns over civil liberties.

Ballotpedia reports that Lewis is a former Republican U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 2nd District who served from 2017 to 2019. He was an outspoken proponent of FISA reform, civil liberties, and increased limits on intelligence surveillance.