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.
Detained illegal immigrants will face $5K ‘apprehension fee’: Border Patrol chief
DHS fires back after Dem lawmaker claims she was ‘pushed aside and pepper sprayed’ during ICE raid
Texas AG Paxton sues EPIC City developers after probe finds alleged fraud, misleading Muslim-only marketing
Tim Walz slams Trump for calling Minnesota’s Somali community ‘garbage’: ‘Unprecedented’
Trump signs off on nationwide vaccine schedule review as CDC withdraws infant Hep B guidance: ‘Fast track’
Two arrested after dozens of guns, including ‘cop-killer’ model, found in spare tire at southern border: DPS
Pastor Says Barron Trump Is ‘Very Close to Putting His Faith in Christ’ After Lengthy Conversation
88-year-old Army veteran working at grocery store receives over $1.7M in donations after viral video
ICE arrests Azerbaijani national with multiple criminal convictions, including animal cruelty, arson
JetBlue Plane That Abruptly Lost Altitude and Made Emergency Landing Likely Hit by Cosmic Ray: Expert
JD Vance Responds as Media Seeks to Stoke Controversy Over His Wife’s Wedding Ring
Wild scene as protesters trap federal agents in taco shop parking lot; multiple arrests made
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Capitol Hill revolt threatens Trump’s Venezuela playbook
Dem-backed ‘dignity’ bill could strip ICE of detention powers, erase immigration enforcement, critics warn
Disgraceful: Duchess Meghan Accused of Stealing $1,700 Dress from Photoshoot, Using the ‘Archiving’ of Her Royal Clothing as the Excuse
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.
