The Justice Department's inspector general is testifying about the FBI's counterintelligence probe into the Trump campaign and potential links to Russia, which was a precursor to the Mueller investigation.
On 12/11/19 at 10:31 AM ESTThe Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, began testifying Wednesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the origins of FBI's probe into the Trump campaign and potential links to Russia, which was a precursor to former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling.
The FBI's Russia probe was justified and not biased. There was no evidence of"political bias or improper motivation" when obtaining a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page or when investigating campaign chairman Paul Manafort, campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos and national security adviser Michael Flynn. However, the FBI's surveillance program and how it obtains FISA warrants is peppered with errors, the report stated, including"17 significant errors or omissions in the Carter Page FISA applications." The controversial"Steele dossier" was not used to open the FBI's probe into several former Trump campaign officials.personal relationship with a Trump family memberDemocrats and Republicans were both quick to declare the report a victory for their respective positions. Democrats highlighted that it debunked theories touted by Trump and GOP members that the FBI probe was an attempt to undermine his candidacy—or an attempted"coup," as Trump has characterized it. Meanwhile, Republicans noted the FBI's misconduct is its probe of several Trump campaign officials and said it corroborated Attorney General William Barr's claim that"spying" on the campaign occurred. Michael Horowitz, inspector general for the Justice Department, arrives to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11 in Washington, D.C.This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Check back for live updates.The inspector general reiterated the conclusions from his report that they"did not find any documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the FBI's decision to conduct these operations" of the Trump-Russia probe. Horowitz added that the opening of the investigation was legitimate, and there was"no evidence" of an attempt to place a covert agent within the Trump campaign or to"recruit members" from within the campaign, undercutting such a narrative that's been pushed by Trump and his allies. Horowitz did, however, highlight the omissions and inaccuracies by the FBI that were contained in its FISA warrant applications. "[T]he FISA applications made it appear as though the evidence supporting probable cause was stronger than was actually the case," Horowitz said."We also found basic, fundamental and serious errors during the completion of the FBl's factual accuracy reviews." Horowitz listed several recommendations to prevent future grievances, including by reevaluating and developing better protocols when applying for FISA warrants.Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Sen. Dianne Feinstein speaks during a Senate Judiciary confirmation hearing for Neomi Rao, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, on Capitol Hill on February 5 in Washington, D.C.Ranking Senate Judiciary member Dianne Feinstein batted down the notion there was a"deep state" within the Intelligence Community who sought to prevent Trump's election. And the ability to have an inspector general who"tells it as they see it," she said,"is a saving grace." Trump and Republicans have"used this to dismiss the entire Russia investigation as a 'witch hunt' and a 'hoax,'" Feinstein said."The IG report repeatedly refutes those claims. This was not a politically motivated investigation. There is no deep state. Simply put, the FBI's investigation was motivated by facts, not bias."Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham holds up a copy of the Steel dossier as Michael Horowitz, inspector general for the Justice Department, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11 in Washington, D.C.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham lambasted the FBI's handling of the Trump-Russia counterintelligence probe. "Whether you like Trump, hate Trump, don't care about Trump, you look at this as more than a few irregularities," he stated."Because if this becomes a few irregularities in America, then God help us all." He also advocated for the agency to reform the way in which it obtains secret FISA warrants for surveillance. "I have serious concerns about whether the FISA court can continue, unless there is fundamental reformer," Graham said."We have to address an underlying system." Graham, taking a less partisan approach to the report's findings, acknowledged that Ukraine—not Russia—was responsible for election interference in the 2016 U.S. election, undercutting the discredited conspiracy theory touted by some of his GOP colleagues that Ukraine was somehow involved. "It wasn't the Ukrainians. It was the Russians," he said."So, the concern that the Russians were messing with the campaigns was a legitimate concern" by the FBI.
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