Bigger question; if this warrant is bogus because of the underlying "evidence" used to request it, are any FISA warrants legit? Obviously the judges just look for the dotted line when the deep staters shove a FISA warrant under their noses.
Good question. Historically FISA warrants are almost always passed right through by fisa judges. The Page memo was denied at first re-written with even more deception and then passed. From what I read only part of the story was told to the judges. If they got the entire story about how the entire story was circular it would never have been authorized.
Probably doesn’t matter which judge did it at the time they were all obama picks.
Under FISA, the judge is essentially a duplication of the AG. Both have to find probable cause the target is an agent of a foreign power, and agree on "minimization," which is the fancy name for "masking." The Judge and AG work hand in hand, like co-authors looking for plot disconnects. Both aim for the warrant to issue.
When the original author is a dirty cop, the judge doesn't know that. And the AG vouches for the dirty cop. So, as far as the judge can tell, the story has already been vetted. He;s just the final editor in an otherwise righteous surveillance activity.
Not to say the judge has no blame, but he'd be the last one to know or suspect the application was hinky. The FISC was USED. The system and history facilitates that. There isn't any oversight, everything is classified and secret.