Barr releases scathing statement on inspector general’s FISA report

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Stella

Nothing is more important than the credibility and integrity of the FBI and the Department of Justice. That is why we must hold our investigators and prosecutors to the highest ethical and professional standards. The Inspector General’s investigation has provided critical transparency and accountability, and his work is a credit to the Department of Justice. I would like to thank the Inspector General and his team.

The Inspector General’s 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. It is also clear that, from its inception, the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory. Nevertheless, the investigation and surveillance was pushed forward for the duration of the campaign and deep into President Trump’s administration. In the rush to obtain and maintain FISA surveillance of Trump campaign associates, FBI officials misled the FISA court, omitted critical exculpatory facts from their filings, and suppressed or ignored information negating the reliability of their principal source. The Inspector General found the explanations given for these actions unsatisfactory. While most of the misconduct identified by the Inspector General was committed in 2016 and 2017 by a small group of now-former FBI officials, the malfeasance and misfeasance detailed in the Inspector General’s report reflects a clear abuse of the FISA process.

FISA is an essential tool for the protection of the safety of the American people. The Department of Justice and the FBI are committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to rectify the abuses that occurred and to ensure the integrity of the FISA process going forward.

No one is more dismayed about the handling of these FISA applications than Director Wray. I have full confidence in Director Wray and his team at the FBI, as well as the thousands of dedicated line agents who work tirelessly to protect our country. I thank the Director for the comprehensive set of proposed reforms he is announcing today, and I look forward to working with him to implement these and any other appropriate measures.

With respect to DOJ personnel discussed in the report, the Department will follow all appropriate processes and procedures, including as to any potential disciplinary action.

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22 Responses to Barr releases scathing statement on inspector general’s FISA report

  1. auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:
    December 9, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    Hm. Looks good, except for the part about Wray. :\

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    Sound great… until you get to the end…

    With respect to DOJ personnel discussed in the report, the Department will follow all appropriate processes and procedures, including as to any potential disciplinary action.

    In-house… “disciplinary action” ….. just DOES NOT BEGIN TO COVER IT.

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  3. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 2:29 pm

    I do remember, back in 2016 when Comey was a “designated White Hat”. Letting Hillary off email crimes was excused as all “Part of the Plan” because there were ongoing secret investigations into Uranium 1, The Clinton foundation, International Satanic Pedophile rings and the trafficking of (sex slave) children around the world etc etc. Since then there has been 3 and a half years of “the plan” which will gel with the NEXT person due to “investigate”, report (and/or testify). It seems to me we should at least consider the possibility the we are being conned? There is no “Plan” If there were to be Indictments they would have started in 2017. There are not going to be any indictments, or even proper Criminal Investigations (of the serious underlying crimes). Such investigations that have been indicated are more into minor crimes/process crimes, and by lower level operatives.
    I do not have high hopes that Barr (and Durham) will do much more that those who have gone before over the past 3 and a half years.

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  4. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    “Inspectors General are the department of cover-ups”
    -Chris Farrell, Judicial Watch, Director for Investigations and Research

    There is a lot of anticipation that the LATEST Horowitz OIG report will be “Justice Is Coming December”.
    I am tempted to ask “which December”? A YEAR ago December 2018… people were all in a tiswas over HUBER testimony before Congress. As I recall Huber did not even show up? Certainly NOTHING came of his “Review of matters” on behalf of Sleepy Jeff Sessions, let alone any report or testimony.

    Even before the very first Horowitz OIG report in 2017, Chris Farrell (Judicial Watch) was cautioning that “the OIG is place where the truth goes to die”.He was proved right with that first report, and he has repeated the warning and been proved correct again for subsequent Horowitz OIG reports. It would seem like a VERY long shot to imagine the OIG report due out Monday (on FISA etc) will be different from the previous 3?

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  5. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    I see Durham has issued a Statement as well….

    “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. 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. 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.”

    As with Barr it is good (ish) to see read they are “talking the talk”….but I have little hope in them actually doing anything (much)

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    • rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
      December 9, 2019 at 3:28 pm

      I saw a good point in a comment elsewhere…

      Barr and Durham don’t need to make statements (releases and speeches)….

      This nails it.
      In theory Barr and Durham are bone fide DoJ investigators/prosecutors. The are not required (or supposed) to reveal anything about “Proper Criminal Investigations”. The are not supposed to even be announcing if such investigations exist. They would be advised to shut up.. and indict if and when they have gathered the evidence. The fact that the are choosing to make public statements indicates that they are NOT engaged in proper Criminal Investigations

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    • auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:
      December 9, 2019 at 3:50 pm

      Oh, my, they will probably be punished with two weeks off with pay.

      Liked by 2 people

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  6. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    And….. Comey has to comment… just to be annoying I assume?

    James Comey Posted at 3:36 pm on December 9, 2019

    But most important, Horowitz’s report found that the investigation was opened and conducted under the rules, finding no “evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced [the] decision” to start it or how to run it. Those of us who knew that truth had to remain silent while a torrent of smears and falsehoods flowed from the White House, from some congressional committee chairmen, the attorney general and Fox News personalities. The FBI’s work was perceived as a threat to the president, and many Republicans apparently believe that all threats to Trump must be destroyed, no matter the cost to the nation.

    The painful part is that millions of good people believed what they heard. My 89-year-old mother-in-law, watching Fox News in her Iowa assisted-living facility, became convinced that I was going to jail. I repeatedly assured her that there was a zero percent chance of that. “It’s all made up,” I would tell her. But I couldn’t say that publicly because the investigation wasn’t done yet. Like the others accused of treason by the president, I respected the process and cooperated with the inspector general.

    Well, the wait is over, and those who smeared the FBI are due for an accounting. In particular, Attorney General William P. Barr owes the institution he leads, and the American people, an acknowledgment of the truth.

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  7. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    They are ALL taking to the airwaves… Now Wray!!

    FBI Director Christopher Wray Releases Pathetic Letter Following Highly Critical FISA Report…

    Wray seems to have ZERO self awareness of his own (and departments) role in things… he’s gonna do more “awareness training”??

    […….]
    Fifth, I am mandating a specialized, semiannual training requirement for FBI personnel at all levels who handle FISA and CHS matters. This training will be experience-based, and it will cover specific lessons learned from this Report, along with other new and revised material. Earlier in my tenure as Director, I reinstated an annual ethics training program for all FBI employees, because I learned the training had been discontinued in prior years. While that training was not introduced in response to this Report, all current FBI employees involved in the 2016-2017 events reviewed by the OIG have since completed this additional training in ethics and professional responsibility.

    Finally, we will review the performance and conduct of certain FBI employees who were referenced in the Report’s recommendations — including managers, supervisors, and senior officials at the time. The FBI will take appropriate disciplinary action where warranted. Notably, many of the employees described in the report are no longer employed at the FBI.

    https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-director-christopher-wray-response-to-inspector-general-report

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  8. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 6:31 pm

    I see the ongoing demands for Trump to “Unclassified everything”
    (and release it to the public)

    It is natural for us “public” to want to SEE all the documents and evidence.. to “get to the bottom of things” for ourselves, but…..
    There are MANY legitimate reasons to keep some information secret. That is why there are security “classifications” on documents. It might not be sensible to throw all that out.
    Also… documents that form evidence of a crime are usually NOT made public ahead of “Discovery” requirements for evidence in a trial. Even before an indictment… documents are usually kept secret and used to confront witnesses (including target suspects). I wonder if people realize that if documents ARE made public then they have less value (zero) as evidence in ongoing Criminal Investigations, and any ensuing criminal trials.

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  9. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 9, 2019 at 6:56 pm

    Even Linda weighs in….
    Funny how he can string together a statement that seems OK… but overall he is a SNAKE… 🙂

    Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Justice Department IG Report
    Dec 9, 2019
    C-SPAN

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  10. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 10, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    The “European” take on Horowitz OIG Report..

    Horowitz delivers devastating report. Sets the table for Barr & Durham
    Dec 10, 2019
    The Duran

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  11. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 10, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    IF Durham is “The Real Deal” As some people say (wish)….
    And lot of followers believe them.

    Then he needs to be looking at VERY SERIOUS CRIMES, involving serious prison terms, life, perhaps death penalty, and involving 100s (or more) prominent people.. all the way up to Obama.

    I kinda think he is more likely to not indict the underlying crimes.. just some token minor crimes/process crimes.

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  12. rumpole2's avatar rumpole2 says:
    December 10, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    I am a LITTLE more convinced that “Barr Gets it”… and so have a little more hope that Durham find some crimes and crooks..
    I still WORRY that this thing is so HUGE that there will be reluctance to arrest all the Senior Swamp Creatures… I guess I am p[repared to HOPE at least that Durham will “do the business”

    Full Interview: Barr Criticizes Inspector General Report On The Russia Investigation
    Dec 10, 2019
    NBC News

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