DOJ’s IG report faults Comey, doubt over ‘entire FBI investigation’ but says it has no proof of political bias
On Thursday, Bloomberg News kicked off the reporting on the Department of Justice Inspector General’s report into the actions of the FBI during the 2016 election cycle with regard to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s misuse of her email server. Below are the high points and guilty players.
The report’s conclusions from IG Michael Horowitz, who recommended the prosecution of former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe for leaking information, to the press, state that James Comey and the FBI violated protocol but did not do so for reasons of political bias.
“While we did not find that these decisions were the result of political bias on Comey’s part, we nevertheless concluded that by departing so clearly and dramatically from FBI and department norms, the decisions negatively impacted the perception of the FBI and the department as fair administrators of justice.”
Horowitz said that Comey’s failure to coordinate with the DOJ on Clinton’s email scandal involved a “troubling lack of any direct, substantive communication” with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
The IG notes Comey used his personal gmail account to conduct business.
Horowitz added that Comey should have coordinated with Lynch before sending his October 28, 2016 letter to Congress announcing the reopening of the Hillary email investigation based on discoveries on Anthony Weiner’s computer.
“We found it extraordinary that, in advance of two such consequential decisions, the FBI director decided that the best course of conduct was to not speak directly and substantively with the attorney general about how best to navigate those decisions.”
Investigation into the anti-Trump text messages between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, he found that there was no “documentary or testimonial evidence that improper considerations, including political bias, directly affected the specific investigative actions we reviewed.” He did state, “The conduct by these employees cast a doubt over the entire FBI investigation.”
The full remark: “There were clearly tensions and disagreements in a number of important areas between Midyear agents and prosecutors,” the IG explains. “However, we did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that improper considerations, including political bias, directly affected the specific investigative decisions.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was prepared to fire bad actors in the bureau based on the recommendations of the IG: five FBI employees for investigation over their politically charged texts demonstrating bias against Donald Trump and for Hillary Clinton, revealing that even more agents were overtly biased than previously known.
“Some of these text messages and instant messages mixed political commentary with discussions about the Midyear investigation, and raised concerns that political bias may have impacted investigative decisions,” the report read.
Below are a few examples highlighted by Fox:
The report revealed instant messages between unnamed agents, labeled “Agent 1” and “Agent 5,” discussing their jobs in August 2016.
“I find anyone who enjoys [this job] an absolute f—ing idiot. If you don’t think so, ask them one more question. Who are you voting for? I guarantee you it will be Donald Drumpf,” Agent 1 sent.
“I forgot about drumpf…that’s so sad and pathetic if they want to vote for him,” Agent 5 responded. “Someone who can’t answer a question. Someone who can’t be professional for even a second.”
In September, Agent 1 and 5 conversed again, bashing Trump supporters as “retarded.”
“I’m trying to think of a ‘would I rather’ instead of spending time with those people,” Agent 5 sent.
Agent 1 asked, “stick your tongue in a fan??”
Agent 5 later wrote: “I would rather have brunch with trump and a bunch of his supporters like the ones from ohio that are retarded.”
This is in addition to Strzok and Page. Strzok played key roles not only in the Clinton investigation, but also in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump before Strzok was removed for anti-Trump bias.
“[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!” Page wrote in a message to Strzok, with whom she was having a romantic relationship.
“No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it,” replied Strzok.
[…] of the unidentified FBI investigators cited in the recently released inspector general’s report for their anti-Donald Trump bias and pro-Hillary Clinton feelings were outed Tuesday as “FBI […]