DOJ IG Horowitz Sends Letter To Congress, Report Nearly Done, Lengthy, Will Release With Few Redactions

Here is more on the story, from Fox News:

Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz told Senate and House lawmakers Thursday that the process of finalizing his report into potential Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuses ahead of the 2016 presidential election was "nearing completion," according to a letter obtained by Fox News.

The "lengthy" draft report "concerns sensitive national security and law enforcement matters," Horowitz wrote in the letter, adding that he anticipated "the final report will be released publicly with few redactions."

Horowitz noted that he did not anticipate a need to prepare or issue "separate classified and public versions of the report."

"After we receive the final classification markings from the Department and the FBI, we will then proceed with our usual process for preparing a final report, including ensuring that appropriate reviews occur for accuracy and comment purposes," Horowitz wrote in the letter. "Once begun, we do not anticipate the time for that review to be lengthy."

The letter came as top Republicans on Wednesday demanded that Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson explain why the watchdog hasn't said if it's investigating "a number of leaks of highly sensitive information" in recent years -- and released several previously unpublished texts and emails from since-fired FBI agent Peter Strzok, who oversaw the Russia probe.

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Horowitz faulted the FBI last year for repeated violations of its media communications policy, noting that agents had received gifts from reporters and leaked regularly -- apparently even from phones at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

For over a year and a half, Horowitz has been investigating alleged misconduct related to the FISA warrants delivered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).

The Justice Department and FBI obtained warrants in 2016 to surveil Trump adviser Carter Page. It's unclear, at this point, if Page was the only Trump official against whom the DOJ obtained a FISA warrant. Page told Fox News earlier this month he was "frustrated" he had not been interviewed in Horowitz's probe.

Partially redacted versions of the FBI's FISA warrant to surveil Page revealed that the FBI relied on a largely discredited dossier written by British ex-spy Christopher Steele that was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee. But, the FBI apparently obscured that fact in its warrant application, telling the secret court only that the dossier was prepared at the behest of an unidentified presidential campaign.

Additionally, it has emerged that Steele had communications with a State Department contact -- which were relayed to the FBI -- in which Steele claimed the Russians were running a "technical/human operation run out of Moscow targeting the election" and that "payments to those recruited are made out of the Russian Consulate in Miami."

There is no Russian consulate in Miami, a fact the State Department official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec, emphasized in her notes. Additionally, Steele had suggested his client was "keen" to see his information come to light prior to Election Day.

Kavalec forwarded her notes to the FBI and other government officials several days before the FISA warrant was issued for Page.

Further, in its original FISA application and subsequent renewals, the FBI told the FISA court that it "did not believe" Steele was the direct source for a Yahoo News article implicating Page in Russian collusion. Instead, the FBI suggested to the court, the September 2016 article by Michael Isikoff was independent corroboration of the dossier.

If you want to read it closer:

And confirmed by CBS:

The Justice Department's internal watchdog said a highly anticipated report on the department's use of secret surveillance warrants during the Russia investigation is "nearing completion" and will likely be released publicly, according to a letter obtained by CBS News.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote to congressional leaders on Thursday with an update on his investigation into alleged abuses of warrants obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Horowitz said he expects the report "will be released publicly with few redactions," but declined to provide a timeline.

"I can report to you that the process is ongoing and nearing completion, and we are working through these issues constructively with both the Department and the FBI," Horowitz wrote. "The goal from my standpoint is to make as much of our report public as possible."

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In March 2018, the inspector general's office opened a review into the origins of the counterintelligence investigation that eventually led to the Mueller probe. Specifically, Horowitz said his investigators would look into how the Justice Department and FBI obtained FISA warrants to surveil a "certain U.S. Person," reportedly referring to former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

The inspector general's report is separate from the probe being conducted by U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is also looking at the early days of the Russia investigation. Durham is examining whether the government's intelligence collection efforts related to Trump associates were lawful and appropriate, including during the campaign and after President Trump was inaugurated.

Durham's investigation, which is ongoing, features prominently in the events at the center of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into the president. On his July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Trump urged him to cooperate with Durham's investigation, specifically regarding debunked allegations of Ukrainian involvement in election interference in 2016.