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.
Hackers tied to Iran breach FBI director’s personal email and post private images
Secret Service agent assigned to Jill Biden injured in ‘negligent discharge’ at Philadelphia airport
AOC says politicians, especially Democrats, should promise not to accept ‘AI money’
Sheridan Gorman’s university newspaper touts ICE tracker after freshman allegedly murdered by illegal alien
Movie Review: Hopeful Comedy ‘Home Delivery’ Delivers Heart, Laughs, and Free Admission for Expectant Mothers
Savannah Guthrie to return to Today show after absence
‘Maybe It Wasn’t a Bug…’ Internet Weighs In on Man Who Discovered He Could Access 7,000 Robotic Vacuums
Battleground Dem candidate linked public displays of faith to political violence in 2023 speech
Senate passes overnight bill to fund most of Homeland Security as fight nears end and more top headlines
Fetterman tells far-left prosecutor to ‘lighten up’ after threatening to arrest ICE agents over raids
FTC commissioner likens American Bar Association to ‘communist party’ over far-left advocacy
NHL’s Nashville Predators Unveil New LGBT Logo, and It Doesn’t Land the Way They Hoped
Just In: Trump’s Legacy Will Now Appear on All New US Currency
Sorely needed US housing supply expansion may run through 3D printed homes
Israel has recognized Somaliland. Will the US follow?
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.
