FBI director says he wouldn't use 'spying' to describe investigations

Source: The Hill | May 7, 2019 | Morgan Chalfant

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that he wouldn’t use the term “spying” to describe lawful FBI investigative activities in response to a question about Attorney General William Barr’s controversial use of the word at a hearing last month.

“Well, that’s not the term I would use,” Wray said at a Senate hearing when asked about Barr’s use of the term to describe the FBI’s surveillance of members of the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

Wray went on to emphasize the importance of ensuring that any surveillance is done consistent with the law.

“Well, I mean, look, lots of people have different colloquial phrases. I believe that the FBI is engaged in investigative activity and part of investigative activity includes surveillance activity of different shapes and sizes,” Wray told Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). 

“To me, the key question is making sure that it is done by the book, consistent with our lawful authorities,” Wray said. “That’s the key question. Different people use different colloquial phrases.”

Barr told senators on the same subcommittee last month that he was reviewing the “genesis and conduct” of intelligence collection on the Trump campaign, saying he believed the campaign was spied on.

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