The long-anticipated report from the Justice Department’s internal watchdog was released even as Democrats continued their impeachment hearings.
Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz’s review reportedly found no intentional misconduct during the investigation into President Trump’s 2016 campaign, but noted the FBI’s falsification of at least one document in the probe which was eventually taken over by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
IG report says Steele dossier did NOT play a role in launching of Russia probe:
“These officials, though, did not become aware of Steele’s election reporting until weeks later
and we therefore determined that Steele’s reports played no role in the Crossfire Hurricane opening.”— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) December 9, 2019
The 400-page report’s release comes even as Attorney General Bill Barr’s separate internal investigation, being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham, is ongoing and has reportedly become a criminal investigation. In a statement, Durham disagreed with “some of the report’s conclusions.”
NEW: John Durham says they “do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened.” pic.twitter.com/GfKezyK9kV
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) December 9, 2019
“I have the utmost respect for the mission of the Office of Inspector General and the comprehensive work that went into the report prepared by Mr. Horowitz and his staff,” Durham stated. “However, our investigation is not limited to developing information from within component parts of the Justice Department.
Barr also reacted to the report:
Attorney General Bill Barr on damning IG Horowitz Report –
IG shows FBI “launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken.”
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) December 9, 2019
The IG report focused in part of the surveillance of former Trump adviser Carter Page by the FBI in 2016 and 2017 after applying for a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, claiming he was an “agent” of a foreign power. The allegation was based in part on information from British ex-spy Christopher Steele, though Page has refuted the accusations and has never been charged with any wrong-doing.
#BREAKING: IG #FISA Abuse report also determined “FBI leadership supported relying on Steele’s reporting to seek a FISA order on Page AFTER being advised of…concerns … that Steele may have been hired by … Clinton or the DNC…” pic.twitter.com/HJiA47pL5b
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) December 9, 2019
The FBI’s request made no mention of Steele’s connection as an employee of the company hired by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Horowitz’s report found at least 17 errors in the warrant applications by the FBI, questioning why investigators considered Steele a credible source.
BOOM:
John Durham disagrees with the DOJ IG Report conclusions
Durham is the one who can interrogate FORMER DOJ officials including Brennan, Clapper, & Comey
Why would Durham feel compelled to contradict the IG Report if it weren’t full of inaccuracies?
This is huge
RT!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 9, 2019
Rep. Mark Meadows noted some of the flagged problems.
BREAKING: IG report officially released. It reveals FBI “fell far short” in vetting accuracy of FISA applications, knowingly withheld exculpatory information, used ‘defensive briefings’ to secretly asses the Trump campaign, used known illegitimate sources, and more.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 9, 2019
According to the inspector general, his team “reviewed over one million records and conducted over 100 interviews, including several witnesses who only recently agreed to be interviewed.”
Meadows slammed the “useless impeachment hearing” in a tweet warning about the “disturbing, significant FISA abuse” in the IG report.
While Democrats hold another useless impeachment hearing, repeating evidence-free allegations…
We’re about to see a report (with real evidence) detailing disturbing, significant FISA abuse on the part of former senior FBI and DOJ officials.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 9, 2019
The North Carolina Republican and staunch defender of the president noted after a briefing on the report that it was “every bit as bad as advertised.”
And after reading this, it’s no wonder we’ve been seeing defensive leaks in the New York Times and CNN. And that the Democrats rushed to hold an impeachment hearing the same day.
It’s every bit as bad as advertised. And certainly worse than the media has been suggesting. https://t.co/0U5dzQGDMY
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 9, 2019
Ahead of the release of Horowitz’s report, Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that the “day of reckoning” is finally here, adding that “the system is completely off the rails.”
.@LindseyGrahamSC “The Day of Reckoning is Here…” https://t.co/lTYisKWPDz
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) December 9, 2019
“You really have to hate Trump to not be upset by what the Department of Justice and FBI did,” he said.
Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will be hearing testimony from Horowitz Horowitz who has served as the DOJ’s inspector general since 2012, on Wednesday as he is set to appear before the panel.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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