DOJ IG Michael Horowitz Finalizing Report on FISA Abuse Investigation

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz (L) and Fe
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Kristina Wong

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz is finalizing his report on his review into whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) when obtaining a surveillance warrant on a former Trump campaign official Carter Page in October 2016.

A draft of the report has already been delivered to the Justice Department and FBI for classification determination and marking, a letter from Horowitz updating Congress on Friday said. The New York Times posted a copy of the letter on Twitter.”

Horowitz in his letter said his team has reviewed over a million records and conducted more than 100 interviews.

“We have now begun the process of finalizing our report by providing a draft of our factual findings to the Department and the FBI for classification determination and marking,” he wrote.

“Once we receive the marked document back from the Department and the FBI, we will then proceed with our usual process for preparing final draft public and classified reports, and ensuring that appropriate reviews occur for accuracy and comment purposes.”

According to investigative journalist Sara Carter, the DOJ is expected to declassify documents related to the surveillance warrant on Page that Republican lawmakers say will expose malfeasance at the FBI.

The FBI’s application for the FISA warrant, according to parts already disclosed by Congress, showed that the FBI used the so-called “pee dossier” as justification to spy on Page as well as news articles that were also sourced to the author of the dossier and that the FBI did not specifically inform the surveillance court that the dossier was campaign opposition research paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

After obtaining a surveillance warrant on Page in October 2016, the FBI renewed its application three additional times through September 2017.

Republican members of Congress are eager to see as much of the materials, including the application itself, be declassified.

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