John Solomon, host of the podcast "John Solomon Reports," has revisited longstanding debates about FBI surveillance practices and media coverage surrounding the Trump campaign, according to an episode description from AllSides.
The discussion centers on what Solomon describes as evidence of FBI abuses during investigations into the Trump campaign, including references to the FBI's operational spy plans and findings from the Department of Justice Inspector General's report on FISA warrant applications.
Solomon argues that these documents reveal significant issues with how surveillance authorities were used, a claim he has made repeatedly in his reporting over the years. He was joined by colleague Ash Short for the discussion.
The episode specifically takes issue with New York Times reporting on the matter, arguing that the newspaper's coverage created what Solomon describes as a false narrative about the Trump campaign surveillance allegations.
What the Right Is Saying
Solomon and supporters argue that the Inspector General report documented substantial failures in the FISA process, including 17 significant errors or omissions in applications to surveil Carter Page. They contend this represents a pattern of government overreach regardless of whether the underlying investigation had merit.
Conservative commentators have pointed to the subsequent prosecution of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty to falsifying a document related to a FISA application, as evidence that concerns about surveillance abuses were valid.
They argue that media coverage, particularly from outlets like the New York Times, failed to adequately acknowledge problems with how surveillance authorities were used and instead focused on defending the investigation's origins.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics of Solomon's framing argue that Inspector General Michael Horowitz's December 2019 report, while identifying errors in FISA warrant applications, did not find that the FBI's investigation into Russian election interference was unjustified at its origins. They note that Horowitz declined to make a prosecutorial judgment on whether criminal charges were warranted for any individual.
Media critics on the left have also questioned Solomon's track record, pointing to complaints filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics regarding his work and arguing that his reporting has consistently favored conservative narratives without sufficient evidence.
Former FBI officials have maintained that the bureau acted on legitimate intelligence about Russian contacts with Trump associates, and have pushed back against characterizations of the investigation as an abuse of power.
What the Numbers Show
The DOJ Inspector General's December 2019 report found 17 significant errors or omissions across four FISA applications targeting Carter Page. The report identified 4 instances where FBI officials omitted information that was potentially favorable to the target of surveillance.
Of approximately 2,800 FISA applications submitted between 2014 and 2019, the DOJ Inspector General reviewed 29 as part of a sample audit. The report concluded that while no material intentional misstatements were found in the sampled applications, there were widespread compliance failures.
Clinesmith was sentenced to probation in 2021 after pleading guilty to making a false statement. No FBI officials faced criminal charges related to the FISA errors identified in the Inspector General report.
The Bottom Line
The debate over FBI surveillance practices remains politically charged years after the initial controversies arose. Solomon's podcast represents one perspective in an ongoing dispute about government power, media coverage, and accountability that shows no signs of resolution.
What watchers should note is that while Inspector General reports have documented specific errors in FISA applications, assessments of whether those errors constitute "abuses" depend largely on political interpretation rather than the underlying facts. The New York Times has not issued a public response to Solomon's latest criticism.