AG Barr: “FBI officials misled the FISA court, omitted critical exculpatory facts”
“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 DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s ‘s report dropped earlier today, and U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham is questioning some of the conclusions in the report.
Attorney General William Barr has released a statement about the IG’s report regarding the review of four FISA applications and of other aspects of the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” operation.
Barr’s full statement entitled “Statement by Attorney General William P. Barr on the Inspector General’s Report of the Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation”:
“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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Comments
The IG has lost the confidence of the AG.
The dark comedy of this is that we knew horowitz was a bad joke from the get-go. In the back halls of congress and the basements of obamas’s, kerry’s and valerie jarret’s houses, they’re probably scrambling to stash their skims from the Iran/145 billion dollars in pallets of cash iran sent back, as well as the cash from the Ukraine and haiti (clinton) fashion.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Blow,” it’s probably like the scene where the drug dealers had so much illicit cash in their apartment, they literally had no room for a new box of cash coming in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSYcDdjIXsY
Our government is TOTALLY corrupt. Completely, from john ‘obamacare’ roberts down.
Chief Justice john robert’s FISC had a hand in the Spygate debacle (rudy contreras). Will CJ roberts recuse himself? If so, does the next senior SC Justice act as the presiding judge in a Senate trial? And what if that next senior justice has made public statements disparaging President Donald J. Trump? Does that Justice need to recuse? The place really is a big swamp.
“No one is more dismayed about the handling of these FISA applications than Director Wray.”
Cue image of Wray and Horowitz popping the champagne.
The big bosses are always “dismayed” when the underlings do things so badly that they get caught and the whole scam is in danger of being exposed.
Wray is a crook plain and simple. He has stalled releasing documents at every turn and then lied about the reason for the stall. And it always turns out that the reason is because it implicates the FBI and DOJ in crimes.
I don’t see why anyone should be suprised at Horowitz findings (referencing prediction and bias).
This is why Durham was appointed. When investigating corruption one must go to an outside investigator with the power to compel testimony, production of documentation and the ability to look beyond the narrow confines of an internal review.
Seventeen documented “failures” on one investigation speeks to criminal incompetence (actually conspiracy in this case).
As far as political bias people don’t tend to see bias when they see their own opinions reflected in others.
That was supposed to be “predication”
Amazing how every one of those 17 ‘mistakes’ bent the same way. But no bias found, oh no.
What a bad, cheesey movie, huh?
But AG Barr is doing a re-make, directed by John Durham. And Durham has a great script.
Even assuming there was a predicate, that does justify prosecutorial misconduct, which under normal circumstances shows bias.
Bureaucracies are immortal and their minions irreproachable. These are the lesser classes of nobility within the Deep State structure. The least level has less accountability than the average private citizen.
They may not be right but they are never wrong. Their mistakes and misdoings are viewed as simple errors. Small fiascoes like Ruby Ridge and Waco were lethal but one a small group of citizenry. This is industrial strength mayhem that is breathless. Feel like a pawn? Sorry… their are only 8 pawns to lose in chess… we are taking about millions.
“They didn’t do anything wrong, and they promise not to do it again. Honest!”
My hasty reading suggests that the report is pretty damning. Not florid or overwrought, but pretty strong. The IG is not a prosecutor. It’s up to prosecutors to find the crimes.
Someone needs to put him on a diet… or taken him out for some exercise.
As to justice and the FBI? Do you really think that J. Edgar Hoover is a fine recommendation? The entity has been corrupt, since forever. Luckily, many agents and staff are nowhere nearly as compromised as Comey and similar vandals of justice.
We hope.
Want to change future behavior? Report any of those involved to their respective primary licensing bar. Most of those involved have law degrees and licenses. Let the lose their licenses for lying to a court. Next ones down the pike with think twice.
No leftist has lost his license since Bill Clinton in the 90’s, and that was only for a year. They can get away with everything.
Have them lose law license and their pension.
So how is today’s FBI any different than the KGB or the Gestapo?
The pay and graft are better and the retirement is usually at a fancy Democratic law firm, with a huge salary for past services.
And the name is clearly different.
My sarcasm markets didn’t work. Sorry.
“markers” not ” markets” — damned auto-correct
The country will soon have a new assertable defense. The Horowitz Mistake, as in mistakes were made.
Prosecutor: “But after you shot him and took his money, you ran him over. Correct?”
Defendant: “Yes, but that was a Horowitz Mistake.”
Prosecutor: “Your honor, I guess we have to let him go.”
No documentary evidence to prove intent.
No reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.
So hold these officials responsible. Charge them. Take them to court. Quit pretending to take this seriously and actually charge these people. LI had the makings of a great headline. How quickly would WE be charged for telling untruths like these people did – repeatedly?!
“FBI officials misled the FISA court, omitted critical exculpatory facts” in other words, those who signed the FISA applications lied to the FISA Court!
For justice to be done and to deter future repeatition of such behavior, there must be jail time for the offenders!
The new rule is that you are allowed 17 errors