Last week brought news that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page has filed suit in federal court against Perkins Coie, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) law firm, and a number of others responsible for catalyzing the FBI’s unconstitutional witch hunt against Page. Recall that justification for the surveillance warrant executed against Page was based on the now-infamous “Steele dossier.”

Alluding to the Steele dossier, the lawsuit states the defendants “used false information, misrepresentations and other misconduct to direct the power of the international intelligence apparatus and the media industry against [Page] to further their political agenda.” The suit further alleges, “Defendants leveraged these fabrications within the FBI and the United States Department of Justice, leading these agencies to present false applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (‘FISC’).” Yep, that all sounds about right.

Page’s attorneys stated that this initial suit is merely “the first of multiple actions in the wake of historic” Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse and that it “is a first step to ensure that the full extent of the FISA abuse that has occurred during the last few years is exposed and remedied.” Page attorney John Pierce further explained, “Defendants and those they worked with inside the federal government did not and will not succeed in making America a surveillance state.” Pierce added, “This is only the first salvo. We will follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how high.”

Setting aside for a moment the question of whether Page has a hope-in-hell chance of succeeding in court against those infesting the very core of the deep state, we applaud this valiant attempt nonetheless. That said, the battle will most certainly be uphill. For instance, we recently reported about the appointment of former Obama-era Justice Department official David Kris to “clean up” these matters, by the FISC’s new presiding judge, James Boasberg. The Reader’s Digest version of that report: Kris is a feckless shill. As House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) summarized: “The FBI lied to the FISC, and to help make sure that doesn’t happen again, the FISC chose an FBI apologist who denied and defended those lies. The FISC is setting its own credibility on fire.”

To think this kind of thing is a fluke or happens rarely is to completely misapprehend the magnitude of the deep-state problem and threat. A more accurate picture derives from contemplating the chilling prospect that, but for Donald Trump’s wrench-in-the-gears upset of presidential-heir-apparent Hillary Clinton’s enthronement, the most sophisticated intelligence and state law-enforcement agencies on the planet would still be arrayed against any and all enemies of the deep state. As it stands, although progress has been made, the war against the deep state is far from over and the winner — republican government or the deep state — has yet to be determined. And make no mistake: At-risk sleazy shadow-lurkers will pull out all the stops to ensure the truths behind their motives and acts never see the light of day in a court proceeding.

A bellwether in determining which side has the upper hand in this battle thus far is to observe whether Page’s suit reaches the “discovery” stage of proceedings, because it is this stage in which both sides are compelled to disclose a great deal of information in preparation for the trial. “Discoverable” information could include, for example, emails evidencing the DNC’s intent and acts regarding the Steele dossier, as well as a host of communications between the entities coordinating the conspiracy against Page and other targeted parties. In other words, the discovery stage is a powder keg waiting on a spark. Whether the keg’s fuse is lit or water is thrown on it will ultimately be determined by the relative strengths of the sides in this battle. For our part, of course, we’re hoping for fireworks.