Ms. Attkisson has warned of the weaponization of intelligence agencies since her laptop for CBS News stories was hacked on multiple occasions in 2013. An op-ed she wrote for The Hill on Wednesday presented an extensive case that U.S. intelligence agencies under former President Barack Obama were manipulated for political purposes - and that pundits are willfully ignoring it.
She highlighted reports that the FBI did monitor the communications of Mr. Trump's then campaign head Paul Manafort prior to the 2016 election, along with what seems to be at least six associates.
"Officials involved in the surveillance and unmasking of U.S. citizens have said their actions were legal and not politically motivated. [...] But look at the patterns," Ms. Attkisson wrote. "It seems that government monitoring of journalists, members of Congress and political enemies - under multiple administrations - has become more common than anyone would have imagined two decades ago. Those deflecting with minutiae are missing the point. To me, they sound like the ones who aren't thinking."
The reporter, who now hosts "Full Measure" on Sinclair's Sunday TV program, buttressed her claims with the following observations:
