From: Facebook
An FBI official who illegally spied on a political rival to Special Counsel Robert Mueller will serve a week in jail.
The sentence came Friday after 60-year old Mark Tolson, then an FBI analyst, admitted illegally accessing the computer of a political rival of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in October 2018 during the investigation into President Trump. That rival was a Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman.
Tolson also admitting sending the victim's personal information to a journalist, who did not act on it.
Tolson argued he was motivated to conduct the illegal act because he wanted to protect Mueller. Burkman was said to be planning a news conference to raise sexual harassment allegations against Mueller.
However, prosecutors took issue with Tolson's claim that he was just trying to protect Mueller from what he thought were false accusations. They argued that if Tolson had simply wanted to protect Mueller, he would have brought the information he retrieved from spying on Burkman to the FBI first; not a reporter.
Tolson's wife also helped in the scheme by providing some information. She had conducted work for Burkman in the past.
Tolson's wife was not charged.
This is actually a very serious offense. You’re lucky. Your wife is lucky. The government could have prosecuted her as well.
Leonie Brinkema, U.S. District Court Judge, speaking to Defendant Tolson
Burkman claims that "others at the FBI" used the material Tolson turned over to obtain wiretaps against Burkman and blogger Jacob Wohl. Burkman says he plans to file suit against Tolson in federal court.
Read more in the Washington Examiner by clicking the link below:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/20/mark-tolson-former-fbi-analyst-sentenced-for-acces/
Read more in a Politico article by Josh Gerstein by clicking the link below:
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/20/ex-fbi-official-mark-tolson-jail-088787
The infamous FBI name 'Tolson' surfaces again.
Appears to me that this is standard behavior at the FBI. We need to create an atmosphere that makes that behavior unthinkable.
DOJ corruption is proven daily by who remains free.
Spying on a political opponent while employed at FBI? An egregious abuse of power and by a government employee representing top law enforcement. Would this have been the penalty if said employee had been a Border Agent, ICE employee, local sheriff’s department? Why are FBI held to lower standards? And will Tolsen lose all or a large portion of his pension? A much more appropriate punishment.
u burn a gay flag and go to jail for 16 years, WTF
A week?
Broke the law, he should have gotten the *same* punishment that any of the rest of us would have gotten...
7 days is a hand slap with a feather. May the food taste awful and may he get a case of diarrhea as well.
There need to be noisy protests in front of that court and that judges home. The media ignores this stuff unless people get out and protest!