President Trump unleashed on FBI Director Christopher Wray today after the Bureau official said that one of the most “important” takeaways from the IG report was that the investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia was opened “with appropriate predication and authorization.”
“I don’t know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn’t the one given to me,” Trump tweeted. “With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!”
I don’t know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn’t the one given to me. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2019
Speaking to ABC News’ Pierre Thomas yesterday, Wray said there were a number of important takeaways from Horowitz’s report, including the fact that the IG “did not find political bias or improper motivations impacting the opening of the [Russia] investigation or the decision to use certain investigative tools during the investigations…including FISA.”
"We're determined to learn the lessons from this report."
FBI Director Chris Wray tells @PierreTABC one of the biggest takeaways of the inspector general's report is a "number of instances where employees…failed to follow our policies." https://t.co/MeTdCHzl6P pic.twitter.com/j0bhnMqRJJ
— ABC News (@ABC) December 10, 2019
While the IG report did not find evidence of bias within the FBI in relation to the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, it did find 17 “significant errors or omissions” in FISA warrant applications used to spy on then-Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.
Attorney General William Barr said the IG report “now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken.”
U.S. Attorney John Durham–who was appointed by Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia probe issued a statement yesterday stating he disagreed with some of Horowitz’s conclusions.
“Based on the evidence collected to date, and while our investigation is ongoing, last month we advised the Inspector General that we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the FBI case was opened,” Durham said.
“I have the utmost respect for the mission of the Office of Inspector General and the comprehensive work that went into the report prepared by Mr. Horowitz and his staff,” writes Durham. “However, our investigation is not limited to developing information from within component parts of the Justice Department. Our investigation has included developing information from other persons and entities, both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S.”
