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.
Medicaid provider allegedly billed $165K for dead patient’s rides among fraud exposed in explosive report
Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert dead at 84
Russian researcher who studied plague died of mysterious illness: What to know
WATCH: Hasan Piker Reminds James Talarico About His Liberal Puppet Masters: ‘He’s Got to Play Ball’
Arizona State cheerleader charged after confrontation with police caught on viral video
Coast Guard Issues Sad Announcement on Search for Downed Medical Plane Near Nantucket
Catholic schools, banned rifles and ‘climate lawfare’: Blockbuster fights await Supreme Court
California realtor accused of spying for China caught at LAX and more top headlines
Green New Deal Lovers Beware: Senate Deal Would Cut the Six-Year Stall on Pipelines and Gas Plants to 150 Days
WATCH: GOP senators skeptical of Bill Gates’ ‘fearmongering’ AI warning as Dems sound alarm
Meet the AI doomsday death cult connected to a cross-country killing spree
Democrat, Leftist Ties to Suspected Serial Killer, Violent Pornographer Emerge as House of Horrors Case Grows
From doubted to dominant: Fox News turns 30 and looks to the future
Wall Street has a new rival, and it’s deep in the heart of this southern state
AI is supercharging political ad wars. But viral doesn’t mean victorious
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.
