On Sunday afternoon senior Department of Justice officials called on DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz to officially investigate whether spying on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was politically motivated.
"The Department has asked the Inspector General to expand the ongoing review of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election. As always, the Inspector General will consult with the appropriate U.S. Attorney if there is any evidence of potential criminal conduct," DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement to Fox News.
"If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein added.
The request comes after a report from the New York Times showed the FBI had at least one informant gathering information on the Trump campaign.
Today, President Trump will officially order the Department of Justice to look into the matter.
I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes - and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2018