Cato Institute sues FBI for 2020 surveillance records with focus on protests, election and COVID

The Cato Institute filed a lawsuit against the FBI to turn over records about the bureau's surveillance of Americans in 2020, with a particular focus on mass protests, the presidential election and restrictions related to COVID-19.

Cato Institute senior fellow Patrick Eddington said that for months, the FBI has fought the libertarian think tank's information requests and refused to turn over documents that would show when the agency worked with police to surveil U.S. citizens without a verified threat, The Washington Times reported Wednesday.

"Whether we’re talking about what the FBI might be supplying to state and local law enforcement or whether it’s the FBI operating on its own, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether you think you’ve done nothing wrong," Eddington said. "All that matters is what the people with badges and guns decide you’ve done."

The think tank filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the goal of obtaining FBI files with a 343 label that is used to mark when the federal agency works with local police.

Eddington said he wants to figure out how much effort the FBI put into responding to left-leaning demonstrations, such as the Black Lives Matter protests, compared to those leaning right.

The think tank also is seeking information about whether state officials used the FBI to help impose COVID restrictions.

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