What Does the Inspector General's Report Say and What Does It Mean?

            The long-awaited report from the inspector general for the Justice Department was released on Monday, December 9, 2019. In his report Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded that there were 17 inaccuracies and omissions made by FBI agents while they sought permission from the FISA court to spy on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.


            On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, Horowitz appeared before a Senate committee to explain and/or defend his report. Fred Lucas at The Daily Signal found “six big takeaways from the inspector general’s testimony” even though the Democrats kept emphasizing that the IG found no political bias in the corruption and/or incompetence of the FBI.

1. Christopher Steele was “desperate to prevent Mr. Trump’s election.”

2. FISA warrant application was based “entirely” on Steele dossier.

3. IG says he’s “not ruling out’ political bias.

4. [There was FBI bias against Trump, but] what about bias against Hillary Clinton? [FBI agents can favor any presidential candidate, but their personal feelings should not affect their professional work.

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5. Comey vs. Horowitz: Findings “don’t vindicate anybody.”

6. AG vs. IG? “We stand by the report.” [Even though Attorney General William Barr does not completely agree with the IG’s report, the IG and his team are standing by their report.]

            Even though I believe that Horowitz is part of the “Deep State,” I also believe that he has integrity. He may have shown some favor toward Democrats when he “found” no bias toward Trump. However, this only means that no one admitted to him that they had bias toward Trump. Horowitz found 17 inaccuracies and omissions and admitted that what happened “looked bad.” This is no small thing. Nevertheless, Barr and John Durham both published disagreements with his report, so they must have other evidence.


            Horowitz’s report is not the last word on the Deep State illegal actions toward Trump. The criminal investigation being conducted by federal prosecutor John Durham is covering some of the same areas but also has a wider range. There are differences between the investigations. The IG could investigate only members of the FBI, and Durham can investigate everyone. The IG could not call a grand jury, but Durham can. The IG could recommend to the Justice Department that indictments should be handed down, but Durham can indict. Because Barr and Durham published disagreements, I expect that some indictments will be coming.