Trump Administration Settles with Carter Page for $1.25 Million Over Surveillance Claims

The Trump administration has reached a settlement agreement with Carter Page, a former adviser to President Trump's 2016 campaign, over claims related to FBI surveillance warrants. The settlement amount is $1.25 million, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer stated in a Supreme Court filing that the administration and Page agreed to settle his claims against the U.S. government. The agreement responds to Page's appeal of a lower court decision that dismissed his lawsuit against the Justice Department, the FBI, and eight individuals.

The named defendants included former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and former FBI officials Kevin Clinesmith, Peter Strzok, and Lisa Page, as well as unnamed FBI employees. The settlement covers only a claim under the PATRIOT Act and excludes claims under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act against the individual defendants.

Investigation Page served as an informal foreign-policy adviser during President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The FBI obtained four warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor Page electronically, starting in October 2016 and renewed three times in 2017.

These actions were part of the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to the Trump campaign. The Justice Department's inspector general reviewed the warrant applications and identified 17 significant errors and omissions in the initial 2016 application and the renewals.

The review noted the FBI's reliance on research memos prepared by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which included unproven allegations about then-candidate Trump. The FBI later stated it should have ended the surveillance earlier.

Outcome Page filed the lawsuit in November 2020, alleging the surveillance was unlawful due to false and misleading warrant applications. U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich dismissed the case in 2022, and the U.S. A Justice Department spokesperson and a lawyer for Page did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The settlement does not address the claims against the individual defendants named in the lawsuit.