Ex-Trump campaign aide sues over Russia probe surveillance

 A former Trump campaign associate who was target of a secret surveillance warrant during FBI's Russia investigation says in a federal lawsuit that he was victim of “unlawful spying.”

suit from Carter P alleges a series of omissions and errors me by FBI and Justice Department officials in applications y submitted in 2016 and 2017 to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to eavesdrop on P on suspicion that he was an nt of Russia.

“Since t a single proven fact ever established complicity with Russia involving Dr. P, re never was probable cause to seek or obtain FISA Warrants targeting him on this basis,” lawsuit says, using acronym for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

complaint largely echoes findings from a Justice Department inspector general report that found significant problems with four applications. Former FBI and Justice Department leers who were involved in signing off on secretive surveillance have since testified y wouldn't have done so h y kwn of extent of issues, and FBI has initiated more than 40 corrective steps aimed at improving accuracy and thoroughness of applications to court.

In lawsuit, filed Friday in Washington's federal court, P accuses FBI of relying excessively for information on Christopher Steele, a former British spy whose research during 2016 campaign into Donald Trump's ties to Russia was funded by Democrats. It says FBI failed to tell surveillance court that Steele's primary source h contricted information that Steele h attributed to him, or that P h denied to an FBI informant having “any involvement with Russia on behalf of Trump campaign.”

complaint also accuses FBI of having misled surveillance court about his relationship with CIA, for whom P h been an operational contact between 2008 and 2013. A former FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, pleed guilty in August to altering an email by saying that P h t been a source for CIA.

suit names as defendants FBI and Justice Department, as well as former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and ditional officials who were involved in Russia investigation.

Despite problems with warrant applications, P accounted for only a narrow portion of overall investigation into ties between Trump campaign and Russia.

same inspector general report that detailed problems in applications also concluded that FBI h a legitimate basis for opening Russia investigation, and did t find evidence of political bias by officials who conducted it.