Did FBI try to take down Trump? Three questions about DOJ鈥檚 report
More than three years after the FBI launched a covert investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, the Department of Justice has some answers.
The inspector general鈥檚 434-page , which relies on more than 1 million documents and upwards of 170 interviews with over 100 witnesses, covers a period between July 2016 and June 2017. During this period, the FBI investigated four Trump campaign associates:聽Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and George Papadopoulos.
Two main issues are examined: whether the FBI adhered to its own policies and protocols, and whether those policies and protocols are sufficient, particularly in the case of such a sensitive investigation involving a presidential candidate. In particular, the report examines the process for obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants.
Why We Wrote This
President Trump has alleged for years that the FBI鈥檚 investigation into ties between his campaign and Russia was politically motivated. The 434-page report examines the origins of the probe 鈥� and recommends reforms.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that, according to the FBI鈥檚 low threshold, a friendly government鈥檚 firsthand account of possible collusion was sufficient to predicate the initial investigation. 鈥淭his information provided the FBI聽with聽an聽articulable聽factual basis聽that, if true, reasonably indicated activity constituting聽either a federal crime or a threat聽to national聽security, or聽both, may have occurred聽or聽may be occurring.鈥�
However, the report also identifies a pattern of errors and omissions, some in contravention of the FBI鈥檚 own policies, that led top decision-makers to take action based on uncorroborated, inaccurate, or incomplete information. Here are three questions about the report (all quotations below are from the Horowitz report, unless otherwise noted).
Was the FBI鈥檚 investigation of the Trump campaign politically motivated?
The formal documentation opening each of the four investigations in August 2016 was approved by Peter Strzok, whom a聽聽found to have exchanged text messages with an FBI colleague that 鈥渋ncluded statements of hostility toward聽then candidate聽Trump and statements聽of support for聽then聽candidate聽Hillary聽Clinton.鈥�
However, the inspector general found that the decisions to open the investigations were reached by consensus and included FBI decision-makers above Mr. Strzok. Mr. Horowitz concludes: 鈥淲e did not聽find聽documentary or testimonial evidence that political聽bias or improper motivation聽influenced the decisions聽to open the four聽individual investigations鈥� or 鈥渢he FBI鈥檚 decision to聽seek聽FISA authority on Carter聽Page,鈥� an adviser to the Trump campaign.
The report also determined, however, that the FBI omitted information about the political motivations of former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and his reports, known as the Steele dossier, upon which the FISA warrant for Mr. Page was 鈥渟ubstantially鈥� based.
A month after the initial FISA order was issued in October 2016, the FBI learned that聽Mr. Steele was 鈥渄esperate聽that聽Donald聽Trump not聽get elected and was聽passionate聽about him聽not聽being聽the聽U.S. President.鈥� However, the FBI did not reveal this during three subsequent FISA warrant renewals, and relied on Mr. Steele鈥檚 largely uncorroborated allegations despite speculating and later confirming that his assignment was politically motivated.
To what extent did the FBI rely on the Steele dossier?
The FBI had considered requesting a FISA warrant for Carter Page as early as August 2016, but shelved the idea because it didn鈥檛 have enough evidence to 鈥渟upport聽probable cause that Mr. Page聽was an agent of a foreign power.鈥� The day it received Mr. Steele鈥檚 election reporting on Sept. 19, 2016, they initiated the process for obtaining a FISA warrant, which was granted a month later.
A key aspect of the FISA warrant application 鈥� 鈥淧age鈥檚 alleged coordination聽with聽the Russian government on 2016聽U.S.聽presidential聽election activities鈥� 鈥� 鈥渞elied entirely鈥� on Mr. Steele鈥檚 reports without any corroborating information. The decision to do so, with a footnote indicating FBI 鈥渟peculation鈥� that Mr. Steele鈥檚 assignment was politically motivated,聽was approved at the highest levels, including by then-Director James Comey.聽By early 2017, FBI team members learned that the firm which hired Mr. Steele, Fusion GPS, had been engaged by the Democratic National Committee to investigate Mr. Trump鈥檚 Russia ties.
The first FISA warrant overstated the case for Mr. Steele鈥檚 credibility, and as more information about his work and its political origins came to light during the course of the year, this was largely omitted from subsequent FISA warrant renewals.
This information included concerns expressed by people who knew Mr. Steele or his work and raised questions about his judgment. Also, that the key source upon whom Mr. Steele鈥檚 election reporting relied 鈥� whom the FBI met and deemed credible 鈥� 鈥渞ais[ed] significant questions about the reliability of allegations included in the FISA applications.鈥澛燗nd the FBI failed 鈥渢o provide accurate and complete information鈥� about Mr. Page鈥檚 prior relationship with another U.S. intelligence agency, to whom he had disclosed his contacts with a Russian intelligence officer 鈥撀燾ontacts which the FBI cited in the original FISA warrant application.
In total, the Horowitz report identifies聽at least 17 鈥渟ignificant errors or omissions鈥� in the applications for a FISA warrant on Mr. Page, and criticizes the FBI for 鈥渟erious performance failures鈥� regarding the FISA applications.聽 聽聽
Did the report uncover any systemic problems beyond this specific case?
Yes. The inspector general concluded that 鈥済iven the extensive compliance聽failures聽we identified聽in聽this聽review,聽we believe that additional OIG [Office of the Inspector General] oversight work is required聽to聽assess the FBI鈥檚 compliance聽with Department and FBI FISA-related聽policies that聽seek to protect聽the聽civil聽liberties聽of聽U.S. persons.鈥� It added: 鈥淎ccordingly, we have today聽initiated聽an OIG audit that will further examine the聽FBI鈥檚聽compliance with the Woods Procedures聽in FISA聽applications that target U.S. persons聽in both聽counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations.鈥�
After reviewing the report, FBI Director Christopher Wray wrote that while the 鈥渋nvestigation and related investigations of certain individuals were opened in 2016 for an authorized purpose and with adequate factual predication,鈥澛爐he FBI 鈥渁ccepts the Report鈥檚 findings and embraces the need for thoughtful, meaningful remedial action.鈥� He is ordering more than 40 corrective steps to modify the FISA process to include more stringent verifications.
Asked directly in an whether he believes the FBI improperly targeted the Trump campaign, Mr. Wray said, 鈥淚 do not.鈥�
President Trump, who appointed Mr. Wray after firing Mr. Comey, blasted him on Twitter this morning: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn鈥檛 the one given to me. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!鈥�
