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.
Mullin’s confirmation survives key test vote as DHS remains shutdown
Trump mocks ‘discombobulated’ Schumer over Democrats’ near gaffe on funding ICE
Wisconsin Dems Cruelly Mock Retired Republican Senator Suffering Multiple Personal Tragedies
The Iran Conflict Exposed America’s Major Energy Weakness: Global Oil
Chicago residents unionize to fight possible displacement, rent hikes over Obama Presidential Center
Watch: College Student Wants ‘Condemption’ of Rapists but Doesn’t Want ICE to Remove Them – She Also Can’t Figure Out What ICE Stands For
Trump says ICE will deploy to airports Monday to assist TSA amid funding standoff
Dem Governor Begs Rich People Who Fled New York For Florida To Return And Foot Bill For ‘Generous Social Programs’
Former FBI agent Robert Levinson’s disappearance still unsolved as bureau presses for new tips
NYC’s First Lady Exposed Approving of Suicide Attack Propaganda, Plane Hijackers, and Outrageous Attacks on US Troops
Tensions and deadlocks over Trump’s US attorney picks hit fever pitch
Jewish voters feel ‘politically homeless’ as antisemitism rises on both sides
Pence: Trump upended ‘some aspects’ of GOP agenda but ‘hasn’t really changed the Republican Party’
Virginia Democrats push gambling bill after taking massive donations from gambling company
Fairfax County ignored 2023 detainer against illegal immigrant now accused of murder, ICE says
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.
