News Opinons Politics

AG Barr Disagrees with IG on Whether Trump Surveillance Justified

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.


Protesters nationwide hold ‘No Kings’ rallies amid government shutdown
‘First to fight’: Marine VP JD Vance marks Corps’ 250th as Hegseth says unity, not ‘diversity,’ is strength
Thousands of New Yorkers flock to Times Square for ‘No Kings’ protest against Trump
Newsom clashes with White House over Marine Corps anniversary celebration highway closure
NYC voters at ‘No Kings’ rally say Zohran Mamdani ‘represents everything’ Trump is not
McDonald’s worker shoots customer in neck during ‘McMess’ altercation, Florida sheriff says
Trump administration freezes $11 billion in blue-state infrastructure projects, blames Democrats for shutdown
WATCH: ‘No Kings’ protesters at massive NYC rally reveal motivation for taking to the streets: ‘Disgusting’
40 Days for Life sees spike in volunteers after Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Vance Leads Newsom in Head-To-Head 2028 Matchup: Respected Pollster
New Jersey Democratic governor hopeful attends ‘No Kings’ protest, vows to fight Trump ‘tooth and nail’
Alex Murdaugh’s double life: How greed and corruption brought down Lowcountry legal empire
They Can’t Even See the Irony: Socialist Orgs Behind ‘No Kings’ Protest Love Dictatorships
Major Airline Launches First Flight with Wi-Fi Powered by Elon Musk
‘World Turned Upside Down’ – British Surrender to Americans at Yorktown on This Day

See also  New Jersey county ordered to fix ‘unlawful ballot design’ that favored Democrats

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.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter