DOJ watchdog finds Russia investigation not improper, despite missteps
A Lot of Crow Will Be Eaten by the damn gop tonight...
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
DOJ watchdog finds Russia investigation not improper, despite missteps.
The report contradicts claims by Trump that the investigation was unlawful.
Horowitz said the office "did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced [Priestap's] decision."
However, Horowitz in his year-and-a-half long investigation uncovered "serious performance failures" on the part of agents involved in the FISA applications for surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, according to the report.
While Horowitz found no evidence of political bias or improper motivation for the FISA applications for Page, he documented what he described as serious errors and omissions that "made it appear that the information supporting probable cause was stronger than was actually the case."
Horowitz said the errors "raised significant questions regarding the FBI chain of command's management and supervision of the FISA process."
In a statement reacting to the report's release, Attorney General William Barr stated that he believed the evidence compiled by Horowitz showed 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," Barr said. "Nevertheless, the investigation and surveillance was pushed forward for the duration of the campaign and deep into President Trump’s administration."
Prior to its public release, the report was transmitted to Congress where lawmakers and aides reviewed it with staff from Horowitz's office, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Horowitz is set to testify on the report's findings on Wednesday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
ABC's Katherine Faulders and Benjamin Siegel contributed reporting to this piece.
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The Trump/Russia Probe was JUSTIFIED...
"In a statement reacting to the report's release, Attorney General William Barr stated that he believed the evidence compiled by Horowitz showed 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."
Now that's odd !
It's not odd at all that Barr disagrees with the IG's findings - he's so far up Trump's ass that he can't even see daylight. And like Trump, he is no fan of actual facts.
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As usual, your comments make no sense.
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I'll second that.
Barr is nothing but a clean up man.
Can The Bar Association bar Barr from the bar?
Hell the senate repubs ignore the Bar association when they keep saying the people the repubs keep putting on lifetime benches are not qualified.
As usual they put ideology over country.
If they're fed enough Dirty martini's.....probably !
Other's " Assumptions " are much, much, much better !
Are you talking to yourself now?
You tell me !
that is funny and if we were at a bar I would buy you drink for that post
I think there are definite grounds to impeach BARR!
For what?
BTW..."I don't like him" doesn't count.
Liberals are trying, and failing, to use that strategy against Trump.
Like what? Can you list them and give your "reasoning".
Barr is a Trump bootlicker, because Trump has appointed many far right judges to lifetime positions on the federal bench.
As we now know from his speeches, etc, Barr is an extremist in terms of how he regards progressives and others on the "left".
He has contaminated the Attorney General's position with right wing political ideology and whatever he says with political overtones has to be taken as questionable on its face.
You going to apologize to Nunes? Or just pretend your attacks on his report on the FISA warrants never happened?
If anything, Nunes didn't go far enough. The IG report is much more damning than the Nunes report was.
I havent read the report yet, but if you can, please point out where it exposes a deep state conspiracy against Trump, and where in the report it exposes the Obama administration spying on Trump.
Since the report doesn't say what some in here repeatedly claimed it would say, all they have is "Barr doesn't agree with it" - which is just what I knew the Trump toadies would say.
Remember when Adam Schiff wrote a memo and lied when he said the Steele dossier played a limited role in obtaining the FISA warrant? Then you and all the other progressives parroted Schiff and falsely claimed Nunes was lying?
Good times!
He was lying. The fact that you point this out means you have not read the IG's report, you're just parroting some spam you got from a right wing conspiracy source.
So in other words, there is no conclusion in the IG report stating a 'deep state' conspiracy or spying on Trump. OK.
C'mon. Let's hear some more about how the Steele dossier was verified and Cohen really was in Prague, despite what Mueller wrote.
Prove the IG wrong.
No, but this does explain why Andrew McCabe has never been and will not ever be indicted...
You'd almost think that talking about the Steele Dossier" gives you guys a woody. You like repeating it over and over even when it is not the subject at hand.
You'd almost think that talking about the Steele Dossier" gives you guys a woody.
So you gaslight the form for years peddling lies about the Steele dossier being verified despite overwhelming proof to the contrary and now suddenly don't want to talk about it when it's debunked yet again?
Sad.
when it is not the subject at hand
Do you understand what's happening? The Steele dossier is the subject at hand. Have you even looked at the IG's report? FFS what a crazy thing to claim, with the IG's report right there for everyone to see.
Please provide that proof. Several items is the dossier have been verified, how many have been disproven?
P.S. Don't bother replying unless you can give us links to substantiate your claims.
My link is the report.
You should read it.
I did, perhaps you should.
I have shown you before wally, if you'd take your fingers out of your ears you wouldn't have to ask over and over and over.
Revisiting the Trump-Russia dossier: What's right, wrong and still unclear?
Your source is CNN
Not exactly the bastion of truth.
Horowitz clearly stated the dossier was a figment of imagination by a few dudes sitting in a bar over beers.
Imagine citing a story about the dossier from January and ignoring the IG report that came out this week.
Textbook example of intellectual dishonesty.
You mean for following the intent of the Founders and the laws listed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights?
You must realize that this whole impeachment circus is sore loser politics and has no chance in hell of getting rid of Trump.
Can't wait for the impeachment inquiry into Barr to begin
.
Facts Still Matter In America...
What facts?
The facts that the Trump Russia Probe was properly predicted, totally justified and not politically motivated...
I'll take the Inspector General's well reasoned opinion based on the evidence over your uninformed one any day...
Absolutely damning indictment of the FBI.
How can anyone trust the FBI when it lied, repeatedly, to the FISA Court?
If you go beyond the MSM headlines and read the actual report, even the executive summary, and still have confidence in the FBI as an honest agency of law enforcement agency, you are an idiot. No matter what your political persuasion, you should be outraged at what the FBI did. It's conduct was reprehensible.
I'm glad the IS is ordering an audit of all FISA applications and recommending new procedures be put in place to prevent such a travesty from occurring again. Good first steps.
Sorry, Barr, the IG disagrees with you, despite all the Trump toadies in here claiming that they somehow had insider knowledge that this report would end up with tons of Democrats thrown in jail.
Of course Barr wouldn't ever accept anything that doesn't favor Trump; he thinks he works for Trump rather than for us. Same way he tried to twist the Mueller report - he's a disgrace.
This report is a treasure trove.
Remember the allegation in the Steele dossier that Carter Page received a massive bribe offer from Rosneft to lift sanctions?
Christopher Steele made it up. Steele's "source" for that allegation flatly denied making that claim, and provided the IG with the documentation disproving it.
I almost feel bad for the people who spent the last three years embarrassing themselves by claiming, in the face of all evidence, that the Steele dossier was verified. The IG just comprehensively destroyed the dossier. Hopefully, this will be the end of the dossier truthers.
They are ignoring that now. The Steele Dossier is so yesterday.
Now they are focusing on the fact that the IG found no FBI wrong doing; just some clerical errors trying to make the information they had seem far more damning that it really was. I mean so what if they used the completely bogus Steele Dossier. It still wasn't wrong to do so damn it.
Of course also from the IG, "According to the report, Horowitz found that DOJ had an authorized purpose in investigating whether there was a crime, and noted the "low threshold" for opening such an investigation. He also noted that while former FBI lawyer Peter Strzok was involved in the decision to open the investigation, the actual authorization came from his supervisor Bill Priestap, the former assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division.
Seems that doctoring information on FISA reports to reach the low threshold to open an investigation, and maintain it is not a big deal to the IG.
I know, I know, but Trruuummmmppppp!!!!!!! That is the only thing the left has to go on. They don't give a shit how they do it, so long as they do it. They would have screamed forever to the heavens if this was ever pulled on Clinton or Obama. Then it would have all been a "vast right wing conspiracy within the bowels of the government to remove a duly elected Democratic President."
What a bunch of hyperbole.
Don't like facts do ya...
You should be concerned about how this article is written, but I guess those who suffer TDS are the most gullible to puffery.
The only true TDS around here are the supporters that cheer on trump and his lies/crooked behavior.
All the while turning a blind eye to facts.
You wouldn't know a fact from a hole in the ground.
Wishes, hopes, and opinions are not facts.
Well, I suppose for many on the right, a large dark empty void seems preferable to facts. Ender, however, seems to have quite an affinity for facts and uses them all the time in his comments.
Based on Durham's inappropriate statements today (which would poison any criminal case that might result from his investigation) I think we may see the House Judiciary committee open a hearing into the conduct of Barr and Durham . Barr is impeachable and maybe we can get a double impeachment on the same day. Trump and Barr going down in disgrace together !
Isn't Michael Horowitz really stating a variation of the Clinton defense; actions were inappropriate and reckless but not criminal? The findings of IG Horowitz's investigation institutionalizes 'the ends justify the means'.
The political implications are worrying. The only necessity is for investigative (and intelligence) agencies to presume guilt and take whatever steps (legal and illegal) to prove guilt. The ends justify the means. Putting the worms back in the can is becoming increasingly difficult.
So do you think that if you or I were talking to Russian agents, that were trying to recruit people, the FBI would not look into it?
Why some want to give others special privilege that they themselves could not posses...
You think they would bother investigating anyone not associated with Trump using the flimsiest information they could find; and omitting anything that contradicts their narrative on FISA warrants?
They doctored the information to start the investigation; and they continued to doctor it to keep it going.
So you are actually going to say it was flimsy information when they knew for a fact that the people had Russian contacts...
No. If the Russian agents were part of a diplomatic mission or were registered lobbyists then the discussions would be legal. And the FBI certainly would not initiate a counterintelligence operation involving intensive surveillance for legal contacts. And any discussion with Russian agents or representatives outside the United States is not within the FBI's jurisdiction.
So, it requires considerably more than simply talking to Russians to justify a counterintelligence effort. If simply talking to Russians was the necessary requirement then there is little doubt that several members of Congress should be under FBI surveillance, too. I wouldn't be surprised if Russian money made its way into several Congressional political campaigns.
They had recordings of the Russian agents. They were even basically calling Page an idiot. They were trying to recruit people.
We both know it is more than someone talking to a Russian citizen.
They say history will repeat itself.
It certainly did with Obama's dirty cops.
Here's what one of Steele's main sources told the IG his "evidence" consisted of:
1, the Primary Sub-source said he/ she made it clear to Steele that h’e/she had no proof to support the statements from his/her sub-sources and that “it was just talk.” WFO Agent 1 said that the Primary Sub-source explained that his/ her information came from “word of mouth and hearsay;” “conversation that [he/she] had with friends over beers;” and that some of the information, such as allegations about Trump’s sexual activities, were statements he/she heard made in “jest.”
Actual jokes were the basis of this investigation.
Oh, the "pee" thing was a joke. Thats reassuring. Now we know Trump is an honest, upright, good guy who is being persecuted.
John, does it bother you at all that FBI is predicating investigations on jokes? Do civil liberties still matter to liberals these days?
Put aside your Trump derangement and think about what you are defending.
Put aside your Trump denial and think about what you are defending.
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I'm defending the idea that the FBI should present accurate, verified information and not lie to the Court when obtaining warrants to spy on American citizens.
Sad that's controversial these days.
Their endless lies and spin and misdirection is unreal.
They can't even keep the same story. It changes constantly. From no quid pro quo, to it doesn't matter, to they all do it, now back to the beginning.
Round and round.
Are you advocating abuse of power?
lol....the TDS folks really believed it. They believe anything the Russians say, apparently so did Obama's FBI. Now that is scary.
Being angry that the FBI would mislead a Court of law is not a "defense of Trump."
Sad your worldview has descended to the point where you judge everything on whether you think it helps or hurt Trump. You have become the mirror image of what you claim Trump to be.
Is Donald Trump fit to serve as president of the United States for five more years?
I apologize for the typo. I wanted to type NT members, my bad. I have been around from those days. And YES I sometimes think I wondered into a daycare center and sometimes I think I have been condemned to herd cats.
Ha. I didn't notice until you said that. I think I have done it before too.
That'll be the day . I've probably lied a few times in my life, and probably cheated a tiny bit on something over decades of life, but nothing like Trump, - but I am not a bigot , and would be embarrassed to death to say some of the moronic things that man has said.
Obama's FBI where dirty and incompetent.
What a shocker!
try again... LOL
Y'all seem to think it is over when this is actually just the start.
keep your popcorn handy
Ya got nothin', as usual
Just like all the "tea party" nonsense where they stood with Bush and his cronies over the war, they all still speak as one mind, without any facts that get through. GOP voters are completely and totally brainwashed to accept all corruption, all cronyism, all acts no matter how despicable as long as it is someone they voted for. It's a complete denial of all wrong. A total unwillingness to accept that someone who has the magic "R" cannot be wrong and therefore makes the voter who supports the magical "R" candidate never wrong. Where is the magical "Tea Party"? They are nowhere, because as I said all along, once they could no longer be exploited by Republicans and the party, they squelched it; they are no longer useful. Republicans knew all along they could do what they wanted and every "R" voter would buy it lock, stock and barrel. Regardless of how Republicans repeatedly year after year lie to their own base. The "R" voters buy it and lap it up anyway, accepting ANY talking point pushed at them. These "R" voters are a completely lost cause. They won't ever, ever, ever give in to truth when it is so much easier to believe the fantasy and check the "R" believing every time they do it all the magical lies are true. Their party belief system is like a belief in Santa or the all consuming "daddy" figure who can do no wrong.