Inspector General report has finally been released

  After months of delays the much anticipated Inspector General report into the allegations of FISA abuses has finally been released and it looks like from what I have read so far that the leaks we have been hearing in recent days are true.

  The report confirms that the FBI made what are being called multiple mistakes along the way, including altering documents and omitting exculpatory evidence, but despite this the report concluded the FBI did have enough evidence to launch the investigation.

  Here is more:

A highly anticipated Justice Department review of the origins of the federal investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia found no direct evidence of political bias in the launching of the probe, but identified an embarrassing slew of inaccuracies and omissions by the FBI that marred requests for court-ordered surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser.

The report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also revealed for the first time that the FBI used a confidential source to approach an unidentified high-level Trump campaign official in September 2016 who was never the subject of any investigation. The approach revealed nothing of value to the probe, the review found.

The report finds those tactics complied with existing FBI policy, but the review contains withering criticism of the pre-eminent law enforcement agency for “basic, fundamental and serious errors” handling of the surveillance applications for campaign adviser Carter Page.

“We are deeply concerned that so many basic and fundamental errors were made by three separate, hand-picked investigative teams; on one of the most sensitive FBI investigations; after the matter had been briefed to the highest levels within the FBI; even though the information sought through the use of FISA authority related so closely to an ongoing presidential campaign; and even though those involved with the investigation knew that their actions were likely to be subjected to close scrutiny,” Horowitz wrote.

“We believe this circumstance reflects a failure not just but those who prepared the FISA applications, but also by the managers and supervisors in the Crossfire Hurricane chain of command, including FBI senior officials who were briefed as the investigation progressed,” the inspector general added.

  While the report seems to let the FBI off the hook in a “no reasonable prosecutor” moment William Barr saw it differently:

“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,” Barr said in a statement. “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.”

  So you can alter evidence while omitting evidence that does not suit your purpose and the Inspector General will still say you had enough evidence to go forward?! Once it is found out that you tampered with the evidence it is impossible to take any evidence at face value and that should have been the end of the story. 

  I would like to say I am disappointed by today’s news but this is pretty much what we expected. Now we will see what William Barr does with this report, if anything, and we still have the investigation being conducted into the origins of the Russia investigation by John Durham and he disagrees with some of the findings in the Inspector General report. 

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium