No criminal charges were ever filed against Mr. Page, who was ultimately exonerated of any wrongdoing by former special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mr. Page has asked the court to speak as a crime victim at Mr. Clinesmith’s sentencing last night. Clinesmith’s attorneys opposed the motion and the victims’ rights groups said they would like to explain why Mr. Page should be treated as a crime victim.
Paul Cassell, an attorney for the groups, hailed Judge Boasberg’s ruling.
“Too often crimes are viewed as somehow ‘victimless.’ But Congress intended to protect all persons who are directly and proximately harmed by crimes,” he told The Washington Times. “In this case, the defendant’s false statement harmed Dr. Page by subverting the proper process for determining whether a FISA warrant should be renewed.”
Mr. Page has asked the court to speak as a crime victim at Mr. Clinesmith’s sentencing last night. Earlier this week, a coalition of crime victim rights groups asked to file a legal motion in support of Mr. Page’s right to address the court.
Clinesmith’s lawyers fired back Tuesday, saying Mr. Page can’t prove he was a “victim” of the defendant’s actions.
Instead, they say that Clinesmith’s doctoring of an email may not have influenced the FISC’s approval of the fourth surveillance warrant of Mr. Page.
The attorneys say other evidence, including three previous FISA warrants, also weighed in favor of the court granting permission to wiretap Mr. Page.
Crime victim rights groups say Carter Page should speak at sentencing for FBI lawyer Follow Us
Question of the Day Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, speaks with reporters following a day of questions from the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP file Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, . more > By Jeff Mordock - The Washington Times - Friday, December 18, 2020
A coalition of crime victim rights groups on Friday said Carter Page, a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, should be allowed to speak at the sentencing hearing for an ex-FBI agent who falsified an email to justify surveillance of Mr. Page.