Former FBI chief allegedly surveilled by Trump administration, whistleblower claims
A former DHS deputy chief says Donald Trump ordered the Secret Service to track former FBI director James Comey's phone without a warrant, describing it as an abuse of power.
According to former DHS Deputy Chief of Staff Miles Taylor, Donald Trump instructed the Justice Department to have the Secret Service place a covert tracker on former FBI director James Comey's phone after the ex-director shared an Instagram photo of four digits. A Secret Service supervisor objected in writing, noting that warrantless tracking requires an imminent threat, which was absent, yet the order proceeded. Agents monitored Comey's movements, including a trip to his son's gravesite, while Trump allegedly observed the operation from Air Force One.
The administration later obtained warrants for Comey's Apple and Google accounts, but the investigation yielded no indictment. Taylor characterizes the episode as a stark example of the president turning intelligence agencies into tools for personal retaliation and warns that other critics may be similarly targeted. He suggests the case could become a landmark First Amendment dispute over governmental surveillance of dissent.
Why it matters
It raises concerns about presidential misuse of intelligence agencies to silence critics and potential violations of constitutional rights.
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