The Justice Department’s inspector general told Congress on Friday that he completed his investigation into possible FBI abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during the Trump-Russia probe, and has sent a draft version of his report to the Justice Department and FBI for review.
“We have now begun the process of finalizing our report by providing a draft of our factual findings to the Department and the FBI for classification determination and marking,” Michael Horowitz, the inspector general, said in a letter to several congressional committees.
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Horowitz, an Obama appointee, opened an investigation March 28, 2018, into the FBI’s applications for FISA warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
He informed the committees on June 25 that the investigation was “nearing completion,” and that his office had interviewed more than 100 witnesses and reviewed more than 1 million documents in the probe. (RELATED: DOJ Watchdog Has Conducted More Than 100 Interviews, Reviewed 1 Million Documents, In FISA Abuse Probe)
The FBI relied heavily on the infamous and unverified Steele dossier in applications for the warrants.
The special counsel’s report severely undercut dossier author Christopher Steele’s claim that there was a “well-developed conspiracy of co-operation” between the Trump campaign and Russian government.
The special counsel said there was no evidence of a conspiracy involving the Trump team. There was also no evidence that Page or any other Trump associates acted as agents of Russia.
Republicans have accused the FBI of mishandling the dossier, and failing to disclose to FISA Court judges that the DNC and Clinton campaign had hired Steele to investigate Trump. Investigators with the OIG reportedly interviewed Steele in London, where he is based, in early June.
Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, immediately called on Chairman Jerry Nadler to call Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify before the panel once the report is released.
“We must act swiftly to address concerns outlined in the Inspector General’s report,” Collins wrote to Nadler.
“Accordingly, I write to request you schedule a hearing as soon as possible following Congress’s receipt of the report. Further, I request that you invite Inspector General Michael Horowitz and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray to discuss the findings of the investigation at that hearing.”
