Washington, D.C. — Kevin Clinesmith, a 38-year-old former FBI attorney, has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to altering an email used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application during the ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation.
Clinesmith admitted to adding the words ‘not a source’ to an email from another government agency, which was then forwarded to the FBI. This altered information led to a false FISA application that targeted an individual associated with the Trump campaign.
The guilty plea came via videoconference under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Clinesmith’s offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to court documents, Clinesmith was employed as an Assistant General Counsel with the FBI from 2015 to 2019. During this time, he provided legal support for the ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation, which focused on suspected coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
The altered email, which was submitted in June 2017, omitted key information about the individual’s past with a government agency, leading to the false claim that the individual had never been a source. This deception played a role in obtaining court approval for surveillance on the target.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2020. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Scarpelli.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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