Russia Inquiry Review Is Said to Criticize F.B.I. but Rebuff Claims of Biased Acts
Source: The New York Times
A highly anticipated report by the Justice Departments inspector general is expected to sharply criticize lower-level F.B.I. officials as well as bureau leaders involved in the early stages of the Trump-Russia investigation, but to absolve the top ranks of abusing their powers out of bias against President Trump, according to people briefed on a draft.
Investigators for the inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, uncovered errors and omissions in documents related to the wiretapping of a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page including that a low-level lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, altered an email that officials used to prepare to seek court approval to renew the wiretap, the people said.
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In particular, while Mr. Horowitz criticizes F.B.I. leadership for its handling of the highly fraught Russia investigation in some ways, he made no finding of politically biased actions by top officials Mr. Trump has vilified like the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey; Andrew G. McCabe, the former deputy who temporarily ran the bureau after the president fired Mr. Comey in 2017; and Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence agent.
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None of the evidence used to open the investigation came from the C.I.A. or from a notorious dossier of claims about Trump-Russia ties compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent whose research was funded by Democrats, the report concludes, according to the people briefed on it.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/us/politics/russia-investigation-inspector-general-report.html
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)Igel
(35,296 posts)that the dossier was originally just anti-Trump oppo research, and when the (R) bailed it was nothing like the final report. They bailed not because they didn't like the results, they bailed because the results were trivial.
Midnight Writer
(21,743 posts)mahina
(17,640 posts)There was a story where they could be seen arguing from outside the White House. Guessing.