FBI Misused Foreign Surveillance Tool to Target U.S. Citizens Nearly 300,000 Times, Secret Court Finds

The FBI improperly searched a database of foreign intelligence 278,000 times over several years, including on Americans suspected of crimes.
The FBI targeted victims, witnesses, and suspects in police homicide reports, as well as donors to a congressional campaign and people involved in protests.
The violations occurred before the FBI took corrective measures starting in summer 2021 to reform how agents and analysts use the database.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has pressured the FBI to address the violations and may consider further responses if problems are not fixed.
The disclosure complicates the Biden administration's efforts to convince Congress to renew the surveillance law, which expires this year.