Attorney General William Barr disagrees with one of the Department of Justice's Inspector General Michael Horowitz's findings in the Russia probe, the Washington Post reported. Barr apparently disagrees with Horowitz's determination that the FBI had enough evidence in July 2016 to pursue an investigation into the Trump campaign, people familiar with internal discussions told the Post.
The highly-anticipated report is expected to drop next week. Horowitz reportedly criticizes various FBI employees and their surveillance tactics but does not ultimately come to the same conclusion as President Trump that the Russia probe was a "witch hunt."
The attorney general is reportedly not swayed by Horowitz's determination that an investigation into the Trump campaign was warranted. Barr believes other agencies, like the CIA, may have vital information that could change Horowitz's findings, the Post reported.
A draft version of the report is floating through the law enforcement agency and is being sent to witnesses and offices Horowitz investigated. If Barr or a senior DOJ official decides to submit a formal letter as part of the process, their letter will be included with the report once it's released. Barr could decide to go a completely different route and instead of writing a formal letter, he could make his objections known publicly.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the IG report will prove the intelligence community, under President Obama, spied on his campaign and used their power to try and prevent him from winning the 2016 election.
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Democrats have said Barr is acting as President Trump's personal attorney. Horowitz, however, cannot be told to change his report because the inspector general works independently from the Department of Justice.
The DOJ, however, is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the FBI's probe, which is being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham.
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