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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 19 June 2018

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Director: FBI won’t repeat mistakes noted in watchdog report

Continued from Front tions. Horowitz said there
are lessons to be learned
The FBI is also reinforcing from the 500-page report,
through employee training including about respecting
the need to avoid the ap- an institution’s hierarchy
pearance of political bias, and norms.
a key point of criticism in “No rule, policy or prac-
last week’s report, and has tice is perfect, of course,”
referred employees singled Horowitz said. “But at the
out in the report to the same time, neither is any
agency’s investigative arm individual’s ability to make
for possible discipline. judgments under pressure
“The OIG’s report makes or what may seem like
clear that we have signifi- unique circumstances.”
cant work to do and as I He also called into ques-
said we’re going to learn tion assertions made by
from the report and be bet- Trump before and after the
ter as a result,” Wray said, report’s release, including
even as multiple Republi- his claim that the docu-
cans on the Senate Judi- ment exonerated him and
ciary Committee pounced the president’s concern
on the report’s findings to that the inspector gen-
allege rampant bias within eral was watering down its
the FBI. findings because of politi-
The department’s inspector cal pressure.“We followed
general, Michael Horowitz, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., far right, joined by, from left, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman normal processes, we took
Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member, questions
appeared alongside Wray Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray during comments ... it was not
and repeated the report’s a hearing to examine Horowitz’s report of the FBI’s Clinton email probe, on Capitol Hill, Monday, made weaker or softer in
central conclusions that June 18, 2018 in Washington. any regard,” Horowitz said.
the Clinton investigation Associated Press Horowitz said he was es-
was plagued by leadership investigation was being re- Grassley of Iowa, drew a ine a scenario in which he pecially troubled by anti-
missteps but not tainted by opened because of newly contrast between what he would have unilaterally Trump text messages be-
political bias. discovered emails. said were aggressive ac- announced his charging tween an FBI agent and
The report blasted FBI ac- Republicans, increasingly tions taken during Muel- decision at a news confer- an FBI lawyer who worked
tions during the 2016 in- skeptical of special counsel ler’s investigation and the ence, as Comey did. on the Clinton investigation
vestigation into whether Robert Mueller’s investiga- “kid-glove treatment” that The report was the culmi- and were both on Muel-
Clinton, the Democratic tion into potential coordi- Grassley maintained had nation of a nearly 18-month ler’s team. In one August
presidential candidate, nation between Russia and occurred during the Clin- investigation by the Jus- 2016 text, the agent, Peter
had mishandled classified Trump’s Republican presi- ton investigation. tice Department’s internal Strzok, said, “We’ll stop it,”
information on her private dential campaign, said “The Justice Department watchdog into how the FBI in reference to a possible
email server when she was Monday they weren’t con- faces a serious credibility handled one of the most Trump victory. The inspec-
secretary of state. vinced by the report’s con- problem because millions consequential investiga- tor general brought those
It said anti-Donald Trump clusion that the decision to of Americans suspect that tions in its history. texts to Mueller’s attention.
text messages exchanged spare Clinton from criminal there is a double stan- But Horowitz indicated that Strzok was dropped from
by FBI employees who charges was free from bias, dard,” Grassley said. “They his work is not done: He the team last summer.
worked on the investigation or by reassurances that the see a story of kid-glove confirmed that the office is “That should not be down-
cast a cloud on the agen- problems were limited to treatment for one side and investigating Comey’s han- played by anybody,”
cy’s handling of the probe just a handful of employ- bare-knuckle tactics for the dling of personal memos Horowitz said of the texts.
and damaged its reputa- ees. Trump himself had ea- other. They see politics in he maintained as FBI direc- “I can’t think of something
tion. It also said that fired gerly awaited the inspector that story.” tor, including one whose more concerning than a
FBI Director James Comey general’s report in hopes Though not agreeing with substance was shared with law enforcement officer
repeatedly broke from that criticism of Comey those characterizations, journalists by a close friend suggesting that they’re go-
protocol, including when and the FBI could discredit Wray said he accepted and law school professor ing to try and use or may
he publicly announced his Mueller’s investigation. that the FBI had made mis- after Comey’s May 2017 fir- use their powers to affect
recommendation against “There is a serious problem takes and chided Comey’s ing. He’s also investigating an election.”
charging Clinton and when with the culture at FBI head- judgment, saying, “There the origins of the FBI inves- Strzok’s lawyer has said his
he bucked the judgment quarters,” said Utah Repub- are a number of things tigation into Trump’s cam- client’s work wasn’t driven
of Justice Department lican Sen. Orrin Hatch. that I probably would have paign, including whether by political views and that
bosses by alerting Con- The Republican commit- done differently.” He also surveillance was conduct- Strzok is willing to testify be-
gress months later that the tee chairman, Sen. Chuck said he could not imag- ed under improper motiva- fore Congress.q