The FBI is under additional pressure.
The House Intelligence Committee memo about FISA abuse by the FBI and Justice Department exposed problems with the way a FISA warrant was obtained against Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser.
In addition to Congressional oversight, the Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is examining the FBI in regard to its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
According to news reports, the inspector general probe led to former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s decision to leave the agency early and the removal of Peter Strozk from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team.
The inspector general is also looking at actions taken by former FBI Director James Comey and a conflict of interest concern regarding McCabe.
The Hill reports:
The inspector general is examining whether then-FBI Director James Comey broke FBI procedure with his public disclosures about the Clinton case, including the letter that he sent to Congress a few weeks before the election. Before Trump fired Comey, Democrats were outspoken in their criticism of those decisions, saying they violated procedure and cost Clinton the election.
But Horowitz is also looking into allegations that McCabe should have been recused from the investigation. Republicans, including Trump, have seized on reports that McCabe’s wife accepted campaign contributions from Clinton ally and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe when she ran for state office in Virginia, calling it a clear conflict of interest.
Finally, Horowitz is also looking into unauthorized disclosures of information.
The results of the inspector general report could expose misconduct by FBI officials over the Clinton investigation and other serious issues in the FBI.
