WTF Just Happened Today

Monday, December 9, 2019

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1/ The Justice Department inspector general's report concluded that the Russia probe was justified. The 434-page report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found the FBI had an "authorized purpose" when it initiated its investigation into possible coordination between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, rejecting conservative allegations that top FBI officials were motivated by political bias and illegally spied on Trump advisers. Trump called the evidence in the report "far worse than I ever thought possible" and the FBI's actions a "disgrace," because – he claimed – "they fabricated evidence and they lied to the courts." Horowitz, however, "did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the decisions," but noted "serious performance failures" by some FBI officials. (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNN / USA Today / Axios)

• READ: The Inspector General's report on the Trump-Russia investigation.

• TAKEAWAYS: Politico / Washington Post

2/ Attorney General William Barr rejected the conclusion that the FBI's probe into Russian interference was justified, calling it "an intrusive investigation" into Trump's campaign that was based "on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken." Barr added that "the evidence produced by the investigation was consistently exculpatory." John Durham, the federal prosecutor Barr appointed to run a separate criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, backed the attorney general's assessment, saying "we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report's conclusions." FBI Director Chris Wray, meanwhile, called it "important that the Inspector General found that in this particular instance the investigation was opened with appropriate predication and authorization." (NBC News / ABC News / New York Times)

• William Barr approved the public release of additional information about Christopher Steele