Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who operates independently from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration, announced Wednesday afternoon he will launch an investigation into alleged FISA abuse during the Obama administration.
"Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today that, in response to requests from the Attorney General and Members of Congress, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will initiate a review that will examine the Justice Department’s and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) compliance with legal requirements, and with applicable DOJ and FBI policies and procedures, in applications filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) relating to a certain U.S. person," the DOJ Office of the Inspector General released in a statement Wednesday. "As part of this examination, the OIG also will review information that was known to the DOJ and the FBI at the time the applications were filed from or about an alleged FBI confidential source. Additionally, the OIG will review the DOJ’s and FBI’s relationship and communications with the alleged source as they relate to the FISC applications."
"If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review," the statement continues.
Breaking: In response to requests from AG and members of Congress, DOJ IG Horowitz says he will investigate the FBI's request for FISA warrant on "a U.S. person"-- a reference to Carter Page. Probe will include role of "confidential FBI source"-a reference to Christoper Steele.
— Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff) March 28, 2018
For months, Horowitz has been investigating potential misconduct at the FBI during the criminal investigation into Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified information. That report is due any day.