The U.S. Justice Department has reached a $1.25 million settlement with Carter Page, a former aide to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, over claims of secret surveillance during the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference. The agreement comes after Page alleged that he was subjected to unlawful monitoring by the FBI, which was probing potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
In a 2020 lawsuit, Page accused the FBI and the Justice Department of committing numerous errors in their applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorized eavesdropping on him under suspicions of being a Russian agent. Despite these allegations, Page was not charged with any wrongdoing and has consistently denied any inappropriate ties to Russia.
Page’s initial lawsuit was dismissed by lower courts, citing that he had delayed too long in filing his complaint. However, while he was appealing to the Supreme Court, a settlement was reached with the federal government, although the terms did not include claims against former FBI officials named in the lawsuit. The settlement figure, reported by a source who requested anonymity, was $1.25 million.
The lawsuit was prompted by a critical Justice Department inspector general report that exposed significant flaws in the surveillance applications. Former leaders of the FBI and Justice Department have since expressed regret, stating they would have reconsidered their decisions had they known about the errors. In response, the FBI has implemented over 40 corrective measures to enhance the thoroughness and accuracy of such applications.
While the surveillance of Page constituted only a minor aspect of the broader investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections with Russia, the inquiry by special counsel Robert Mueller confirmed Russian interference in favor of Trump during the 2016 election. However, Mueller’s team did not find enough evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
In a related case, the Justice Department settled another lawsuit in March, awarding approximately $1.2 million to Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding his communications with a top Russian diplomat but was later granted a pardon by Trump.
