U.S. Settles Carter Page Wiretap Lawsuit for $1.25 Million
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- The Trump administration has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Carter Page, a 2016 Trump campaign adviser who was wiretapped during the Russia election interference investigation.
- The FBI was found to have significantly mishandled its surveillance applications on Page, with an inspector general report revealing numerous errors and omissions that exaggerated suspicion against him.
- Despite previous court dismissals and uncertainty over Page's legal entitlement to compensation, the Justice Department settled the case before it reached the Supreme Court.
- This settlement follows similar payouts by the Justice Department to Trump allies, including $1.25 million to Michael Flynn and nearly $5 million to Ashli Babbitt's estate, though it has not settled cases involving Jan. 6 riot participants.
- The Justice Department criticized the Page investigation as relying on flawed information and labeled it a political sham, while Page declined to comment on the settlement amount.
