Attorney General William Barr reportedly disagrees with a finding by the forthcoming Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) report that the FBI had sufficient reason to monitor the Trump campaign in 2016.
The FBI conducted surveillance on Trump campaign associates, including foreign policy aide Carter Page, on the basis of suspicions that the campaign might have been colluding with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election.
No evidence of collusion was ever found, though the surveillance continued well after the election, and the fact that the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign over Russia was leaked to Democrats and to the mainstream media.
The IG report is expected to criticize the FBI for the way in which it approached the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court to obtain a warrant for that surveillance. The FBI partly relied upon the so-called “dossier” prepared by former British spy Christopher Steele for Fusion GPS, an opposition research company being paid by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Republicans have claimed that the FBI failed to corroborate the unproven allegations in the dossier, and hid its political origins from the FISA court.
Car barrels into crowd outside California bar, gunfire erupts in chaotic scene caught on video
DHS touts ‘most secure border’ in US history amid departure of nearly 3M illegal immigrants
Trump awards back-to-back Medals of Honor during State of the Union address
Inside the Chamber: Trump gets under Democrats’ skin at State of the Union
Spanberger slams Trump on ‘affordability’ in SOTU response — as Virginia Democrats push new taxes
Trump awards Purple Hearts to National Guard members ambushed in Washington, DC: ‘We love you all’
‘We did not hear the truth from the president’: Spanberger squares up to Trump in State of the Union rebuttal
White House unloads on Democrats who ‘failed’ Trump’s State of the Union ‘test’
Trump admin sues University of California for allegedly fostering hostile workplace for Jewish employees
WATCH: ‘These People Are Crazy!’ – Trump Unloads on Democrats During SOTU With a Never Before Seen Passion
BREAKING VIDEO: Chaos Breaks Out at SOTU After Trump Asks Everyone in Favor of Putting US Citizens Before Illegals to Rise
SOTU Video: Democrats Refuse to Stand After Trump Announces Lowest RX Drug Prices in the World Coming to US
BREAKING: Rep. Al Green Escorted Out of State of the Union Barely 60 Seconds Into Trump’s Speech
Democrats targeted over ‘illegal orders’ video attend Trump State of the Union
Alert: Schumer Gives Chilling 7 Seconds of Press Comments After Iran Briefing – Zero Attacks on Trump, Obvious Worry, Pure Seriousness
But there have been conflicting leaks about what the report, which is set to be released next Monday, will say about misconduct at the FBI. Several individuals have already seen drafts of the report, as they are mentioned in it.
The Washington Post reported Monday evening that IG Michael Horowitz, an Obama administration appointee, had concluded that there was, in fact, sufficient evidence to justify what Barr earlier called “spying” on the campaign.
Barr reportedly disagreed, though a spokesperson for the DOJ dismissed reports of a dispute between Barr and Horowitz: “Rather than speculating, people should read the report for themselves next week,” she said.
Horowitz was criticized for his 2018 report on how the FBI handled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s illicit email server, in which he found that officials mishandled the investigation but that political bias was not the reason.
Story cited here.
