Some journalists are defending the debunked Steele Dossier following the release of the Department of Justice Inspector General's report on the FISA abuses.
In their report, the Inspector General's office said that while they found no evidence of political bias for the start of the FBI's investigation and that the investigation was justified, they did find 17 significant errors and incidents of omissions in the Carter Page FISA applications.
When Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, he confirmed the FISA applications the FBI used in their investigation into the Trump campaign were based "entirely" on the Steele Dossier
Horowitz added the FBI admitted the dossier "'pushed the FISA proposal over the line' in terms of establishing probable cause and we concluded that the Steele reporting played a central and essential role in the decision to seek a FISA order."
When Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham asked Horowitz if people, like former FBI Director James Comey, who claim his report vindicates them are correct on their assertions, Horowitz replied, "I think the activities we found here don't vindicate anybody who touched this."
Despite the findings of the report, some journalists, such as Washington Post reporter Shane Harris, have defended the dossier's role in the FISA applications or the dossier itself to varying degrees.
The IG report confirms that the Steele memos did not trigger the investigation and were not the basis of the application for FISA surveillance on Page. A significant (and problematic) component of that application, yes. But the sole basis? No. This was and remains my point. https://t.co/ccbV4DBD4F
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) December 12, 2019
Absolutely correct. Trump and his allies want to say the dossier sparked the investigation. It did not. In the end, it appears to have been prescient about what the Russians were doing & wrong about what the Trump campaign was doing. How do we know? Because the FBI investigated. https://t.co/gqSqBJpOe6
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) December 12, 2019
Fact check: Buzzfeed reporters published the Steele dossier, which has proven to be truthful and factual. https://t.co/YZqnP6CHdG
— Michelle Jones (@Michelle_RJones) December 12, 2019
BuzzFeed's senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold defended the outlet's decision to publish the dossier, saying he has "never, ever reported in print or in any other forum that the Steele dossier was gospel."
I have never, ever reported in print or in any other forum that the Steele dossier was gospel. To claim or insinuate otherwise is erroneous. What I have noted time and again is @BuzzFeedNews decision to publish it in full was right and just given how it was used by US govt
— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) December 12, 2019
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