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Republican lawmakers had a rare opportunity to publicly question Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz Wednesday at a House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations hearing. The panel – focused mainly on the inspector generals – diverted during the hearing to questions regarding Horowitz’s recently completed report on alleged FISA abuse by the FBI and his recently released scathing report on former FBI Director James Comey. Further, Horowitz told the panel he has communicated with Connecticut Attorney John Durham, who was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to investigate the FBI’s handling of the probe into President Trump’s campaign. Under questioning...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoJxreP1vVINote that the courtroom is almost completely empty because the Deep State players did not attend today's hearing with Horowitz; they didn't want to hear what he had to say about the IG report and they didn't want to use their right to ask him questions for 5 minutes. I only caught the last 10 minutes of the hearing but based on what I heard, will definitely watch the rest. RE the 10 minutes I watched: Meadows and Jordan were asking Horowitz about the IG report; Jordan confirmed with Horowitz that although the IG report documented matters of concern (e.g.,...

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday that he referred ex-FBI Director James Comey for criminal prosecution. “We are required by the [Inspector General] Act to send information that we’ve identified that could plausibly be criminal to the Department of Justice,” said Mr. Horowitz, confirming what amounted to a criminal referral. The Justice Department ultimately decided not to prosecute Mr. Comey despite Mr. Horowitz’s team concluding he improperly leaked information to the news media. The documents leaked by Mr. Comey were sensitive, but not classified. Mr. Comey asked a law professor friend to share with The New York Times...

What will Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s latest investigation reveal? Will Congress hold hearings about it? Will former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe actually get indicted? After all, it’s said that a motivated prosecutor can “indict a ham sandwich” if he really wants to. We’re so wrapped up in the daily tick-tock, we could be losing sight of a big picture that’s come into focus over the past two years. For the first time in our nation’s history, an inspector general — one appointed by President Obama — has determined that at least two men who sat in...

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz is finalizing his report on the investigation into the FBI’s handling of President Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia probe, according to a source familiar with the matter and a letter sent to lawmakers Friday. A draft of the report has been delivered to the DOJ and FBI, confirmed the source. The information was first reported by ABC news. Horowitz informed the chairmen of several House and Senate committees that his team has “reviewed over one million records and conducted over 100 interviews” Horowitz said in the letter. “We have now begun the process...

McCabe has indicated that, if charged, he would claim the Justice Department was under pressure from the White House. Federal prosecutors in Washington have recommended that criminal charges be filed against Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s former deputy director, and the Justice Department has rejected a last-ditch appeal by McCabe’s lawyers, according to a report on Thursday by Fox News. This clears the way for what appears to be McCabe’s imminent indictment.

James Comey immediately shared details from a post-election briefing for then-President-elect Donald Trump with the FBI’s Russia team, according to the recently released inspector general's report on the former bureau director’s actions -- in the latest indication that traditional transition briefings were used to update the incoming president and his team, as well as gather intelligence for the ongoing FBI investigation. The long-awaited report from Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz on Thursday said Comey violated bureau policies by drafting, leaking and retaining his memos documenting private discussions with the president. The report also revealed new details about the FBI director’s...

In July 2017, the Department of Justice’s inspector general (IG) began an investigation into whether former FBI Director James Comey improperly handled and shared government memos, including some containing classified information. The IG’s now-issued report found Comey guilty of multiple violations and referred him for possible prosecution. The Justice Department declined to prosecute. After the IG report was issued, Comey declared exoneration and asked for apologies via Twitter: “I don’t need a public apology from those who defamed me, but a quick message with a ‘sorry we lied about you’ would be nice.” However, almost the entirety of the IG’s...

The Justice Department watchdog unveiled a report Thursday rebuking former FBI director James Comey over his handling of memos detailing his conversations with President Trump, saying he violated FBI policies. The report from DOJ Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz rebutted Comey’s claims that the memos were merely personal recollections, not official FBI records, and sharply criticized the former FBI chief for mishandling sensitive information. While highly critical of Comey’s actions, the inspector general did not make recommendations on whether the former top government official should face any charges, and Attorney General William Barr has declined to prosecute him. The watchdog...

Full report at link

Former FBI Director Jim Comey violated bureau rules and procedures in his handling of certain memos he drafted after his May 2017 firing, the Justice Department Inspector General said in a report released on Thursday. The report said that both the memo he had handed over to a friend to be leaked to the press, as well as memos Comey shared with his attorneys, were improperly transmitted without seeking authorization from the FBI. However, the Inspector General’s investigation found no evidence that “Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the memos to members...

The Justice Department inspector general is preparing to release a report on the conduct of fired FBI Director James Comey in the Trump-Russia investigation, according to a number of sources with knowledge of the situation. The specific timing of the report's release is not clear. The Comey report is separate from a larger inspector general report on the DOJ's handling of the Trump-Russia probe. That report, sometimes referred to by Republicans as an investigation into "FISA abuse," is expected to be released later. It is not clear why the inspector general, Michael Horowitz, chose to write a separate report on...

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has reportedly completed his investigation into alleged Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuses by the Justice Department and FBI. The Hill's John Solomon made the announcement Thursday evening on Fox News. "What I can report tonight, Sean, is that the IG has completed his work on the FISA abuse report. It's expected to be transmitted as early as next week to Attorney General William Barr and that will begin a process of declassification," the investigative reporter told host Sean Hannity. "I think we are still on track for that timeline, I've been saying on your...

There will be much to learn in Inspector General Michael Horowitz's upcoming report on the Trump-Russia investigation, but most of it will likely boil down to just two questions. One, how much did the Obama Justice Department spy on the Trump campaign? And two, was it justified? Many Democrats would immediately protest the word "spying." But the public already knows the FBI secured a warrant to wiretap low-level Trump adviser Carter Page a few months after Page left the campaign. The public also knows the FBI used informant Stefan Halper to gather information on other Trump campaign figures. And the...

More than two and a half years after President Donald Trump assumed office, focus on actions taken during the 2016 presidential campaign is starting to shift toward the CIA and its former director, John Brennan. While some observers, including this publication, have pointed out for more than a year that Brennan appears to have played a key role in the scandal that’s become known as Spygate, actions taken by Brennan and the CIA now appear to have become a central focus of investigators. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that Justice Department (DOJ) Inspector...

The Justice Department’s chief watchdog is preparing a damning report on James Comey’s conduct in his final days as FBI director that likely will conclude he leaked classified information and showed a lack of candor after his own agency began looking into his feud with President Trump over the Russia probe. Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz’s team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution — a decision that’s likely to upset Comey's conservative critics. Prosecutors found the IG’s...

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz is preparing a very damning report on James Comey’s conduct in the days leading up to his firing that will likely conclude he leaked classified information (memos) and lacked candor (lied). According to a report out by award-winning investigative journalist John Solomon, Horowitz’s team referred James Comey for possible prosecution for leaking contents of his classified memos, but DOJ prosecutors under Bill Barr have decided to decline prosecution. John Solomon does say however that Comey still isn’t out of the weeds yet and faces legal jeopardy in the ongoing investigation into FISA abuse and the...

With most DC speculation now placing the timing of the IG report on FISA abuse likely around September or October, this is a both a reminder of sorts and a warning of sorts. August 31st, 2020, shuts the historic window for any prosecutorial action involving the DC system that circles politics. By custom, the 60-day window surrounding any DC election has historically been considered off-limits to avoid the appearance of election interference. With that in mind we are rapidly approaching a one year countdown at the end of August. Three months ago U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr asked President Trump...

'...secretly trying to build a conspiracy case against the president' Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will soon reveal that former FBI Director James Comey took "extraordinary steps" to deliberately mislead President Donald Trump in an effort to "secretly ... build a conspiracy case against the president," according to a RealClearInvestigations report. While Horowitz's investigation focused on the origins of the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation, with special emphasis on potential abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Horowitz has reportedly answered why Comey told Trump privately on Jan. 6, 2017, that the FBI was not investigating him when the FBI was,...

We still don’t know when the much-delayed Inspector General’s Report on the FISA warrants used to spy on the Trump campaign will come out, but it looks like it might be fairly soon. Prior to release of any IG report, the people mentioned in it are shown sections concerning them and offered the opportunity to state their rebuttal or comments. That process may be underway, it appears. That’s because Representative Adam Schiff, the leading Russia Hoax conspiracy theorist. who would likely hear about sections of the report sent to his friends for comment, is pre-emptively attempting to discredit Horowitz...