During Wednesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Justice Department inspector general’s report on possible FISA abuses, the top DOJ watchdog Michael Horowitz said he was taken aback by U.S. Attorney John Durham’s Monday statement rebuking the report’s findings.
“Well, I was surprised by the statement. I didn’t necessarily know it was going to be released on Monday,” Horowitz said, adding that he met in November with Durham—who is working with Attorney General William Barr on an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe. “He said he did not necessarily agree with our conclusion about the opening of a full counterintelligence investigation, which is what this was. But there are also investigative means by which the FBI can move forward with an investigation called a preliminary investigation.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) also asked Horowitz whether Barr or Durham presented anything that would alter his report, which found there was no political bias and there was sufficient evidence to begin the probe. “No,” he replied.
