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U.S. NEWS Thursday 12 december 2019
Watchdog: ‘Basic and fundamental errors’ in Russia probe

By ERIC TUCKER and MI- from the outset of the hear- code name for the FBI in-
CHAEL BALSAMO ing. The Democratic and vestigation, “Crossfire Hur-
Associated Press Republican leaders of the ricane,” was an apt title
WASHINGTON (AP) — The committee highlighted the “because that’s what we
Justice Department’s inter- findings they found most ended up with — a ‘Cross-
nal watchdog told Con- favorable to the points they fire Hurricane.’”
gress on Wednesday that wanted to make. “What happened here is
he is concerned that “so Democrats have seized the system failed. People
many basic and funda- on the inspector general’s in the highest levels of gov-
mental errors” were made conclusion that the investi- ernment took the law into
by the FBI as it investigated gation was not tainted by their own hands,” said Gra-
ties between the Trump political motivations. But ham, a close Trump ally.
campaign and Russia. Republicans say the find- Sen. Dianne Feinstein of
Inspector General Michael ings show the investigation California, the top Demo-
Horowitz’s testimony before was fatally flawed. Attorney crat on the committee,
the Senate Judiciary Com- General William Barr, a vo- Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz said, “I believe strongly that
mittee comes two days af- cal defender of President arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the it’s time to move on from
ter the release of a report Donald Trump, said the FBI Inspector General’s report on alleged abuses of the Foreign the false claims of political
that identified significant investigation was based on Intelligence Surveillance Act, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, on bias.”
problems with applications a “bogus narrative” and he Capitol Hill in Washington. Associated Press Horowitz’s opening state-
to receive and renew war- declined to rule out that ment was overwhelmingly
rants to eavesdrop on a for- agents may have acted in the court when questions Those problems were es- critical of the investigation,
mer Trump campaign aide bad faith. about raised about the reli- pecially alarming because focusing more on the flaws
in 2016 and 2017. Despite Horowitz told senators that ability of some of the infor- the warrant to monitor that his report identified
those problems, the report the FBI failed to follow its mation that it had present- Page “related so closely than his finding about the
also found that the FBI’s ac- own standards for accu- ed to receive the warrants. to an ongoing presiden- absence of partisan bias.
tions were not motivated by racy and completeness “We are deeply concerned tial campaign” and “even Besides the errors in the war-
partisan bias and that the when it sought a warrant that so many basic and though those involved with rant application process,
investigation was opened from the secretive Foreign fundamental errors were the investigation knew that he pointedly noted that the
for a proper cause. Intelligence Surveillance made by three separate, their actions were likely to FBI had not consulted with
“I think the activities we Court to monitor the com- hand-picked investigative be subjected to close scru- the Justice Department
found don’t vindicate munications of ex-cam- teams, on one of the most tiny.” before using informants to
anybody who touched” paign aide Carter Page. sensitive FBI investigations, The committee chairman, interact with Trump cam-
the warrant applications, The report detailed 17 er- after the matter had been GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham paign aides during the in-
Horowitz said. rors and omissions during briefed to the highest lev- of South Carolina, echoed vestigation, though he also
The partisan responses to those wiretap applica- els within the FBI,” Horowitz that sentiment in his open- said no policy required it to
his report were on display tions, including failing to tell said. ing statement. He said the do so.q