When is the Inspector General's Report and What Do You Expect From It?

Should be very soon now.


Dec. 26, 2017

Analysis: The quiet probe into Clinton email investigation could be a landmine for Robert Mueller

WASHINGTON — In early January, news that the Justice Department’s inspector general launched an investigation into the government's disputed handling of the Hillary Clinton email inquiry was quickly overtaken by the chaotic run-up to President Trump’s inauguration.

Nearly a year later, Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s wide-ranging review of the FBI and Justice’s work in the politically-charged Clinton case now looms as a potential landmine for Russia special counsel Robert Mueller.

For months, Horowitz’s investigation — which has amassed interviews with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former FBI Director James Comey and other key officials — had been grinding on in near anonymity. That is, until earlier this month when the inspector general acknowledged that Mueller was alerted to a cache of text messages exchanged between two FBI officials on his staff that disparaged Trump.

The communications, involving senior counter-intelligence agent Peter Strzok and bureau lawyer Lisa Page, were gathered in the course of Horowitz’s internal review of the Clinton case, which Strzok also helped oversee. Horowitz’s investigation is not examining Mueller’s operation. But the disclosures already have provided a hammer to Trump loyalists who are escalating their criticisms of the legitimacy of the special counsel’s inquiry.


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Office of the Inspector General
U.S Department of Justice

[link to oig.justice.gov (secure)]

Meet the Inspector General

Michael E. Horowitz was sworn in as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 16, 2012, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Mr. Horowitz was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2003 to serve a six-year term as a Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

As Inspector General, Mr. Horowitz oversees a nationwide workforce of more than 450 special agents, auditors, inspectors, attorneys, and support staff whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in DOJ programs and personnel, and to promote economy and efficiency in Department operations. Since 2015, he has simultaneously served as the Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), an organization comprised of all 73 federal Inspectors General.

[link to oig.justice.gov (secure)]



Reports: Forthcoming Inspector General Report Played Role In McCabe Leaving

"FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s sudden decision on Monday to leave the bureau appears to be linked to a forthcoming report from the Justice Department inspector general about the bureau’s investigations during the 2016 election...

A former law enforcement official close to McCabe told the New York Times that FBI Director Christopher Wray was concerned about the report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz and discussed moving McCabe to a different position within the FBI. McCabe instead chose to leave the bureau altogether, per the Times.

"The department’s inspector general is investigating several facets of the FBI’s investigations into Hillary Clinton’s email servers and possible collusion between the Trump campaign an Russia during the 2016 election. The inspector general is looking at whether McCabe should have recused himself from the Clinton investigation given that his wife ran a Democratic campaign for public office in 2015. The inspector general is also looking at text message exchanges between F.B.I. officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were involved in both the Clinton and Trump probes."

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January 12, 2017

Justice Department inspector general to investigate pre-election actions by department and FBI

The Justice Department inspector general will review broad allegations of misconduct involving FBI Director James B. Comey and how he handled the probe of Hillary Clinton’s email practices, the inspector general announced Thursday.

The investigation will be wide-ranging, encompassing Comey’s various letters and public statements on the matter and whether FBI or other Justice Department employees leaked nonpublic information, according to Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.

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