Justice Department inspector general to investigate pre-election actions by department

[Stonepounder]

Source: Washington Post

The review will examine broad allegations of misconduct involving the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email practices and the bureau’s controversial decision shortly before the election to announce that the probe had resumed.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/12/justice-department-inspector-general-to-investigate-pre-election-actions-by-department-and-fbi/

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It is about damn time!

[NWCorona]

1. Interesting

[Mister Midnight]

2. As Long as Comey ends up Behind Bars,

I'm good.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

3. K&R nt

[Abouttime]

20. This is too little too late

tRump needs to be stopped NOW, before he is sworn in as president. His election is tainted, stolen and compromised by the Russians.
I'm sure Obama and the DOJ are working overtime with time literally running out trying to find someway to prevent this national nightmare from happening.

[Glimmer of Hope]

4. Oh yeah.

[meadowlark5]

5. Does it make any difference? If sessions gets voted through, won't he just stop it? nt

[still_one]

6. Comey Letter On Clinton Email Is Subject of Justice Dept. Inquiry

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/us/politics/james-comey-fbi-inspector-general-hillary-clinton.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=64784571&pgtype=article


My question is can they sqwash that investigation after trump gets in?

[Chakaconcarne]

8. Probably explains the rush to complete the confirmation hearings

[saidsimplesimon]

7. The plot thickens.

Breaking News, I do not have time today to post.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-british-spy-christopher-steele-prepared-explosive-trump-memo-n705891

Former British Spy Christopher Steele Prepared Explosive Trump Memo
by HANS NICHOLS and KEN DILANIAN

An explosive 35-page memo on Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, which contains unverified allegations and which Trump called a "complete fabrication" Wednesday, was written by a former British intelligence officer working for Orbis Business Intelligence, Ltd., two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Separately, Rohit Kachroo, security editor for NBC News British partner ITV News, reported that the man's name is Christopher David Steele, a former officer with MI6 who was posted to Moscow in 1990. The memo was originally generated on behalf of Republican opponents of Trump's but was later shopped to the media by Democrats.
...snip
Steele's whereabouts were not known Thursday, and intelligence analyst Glenmore Trenear-Harvey said it was "perfectly plausible" the ex-spy could be in hiding in fear of retaliation from the Russian government.

"Look what happened to Litvinenko," he said. "Putin has form... Such things have happened in the past."

[trueblue2007]

9. TRHOW TRAITOR james comey in jail !!!!!!!

[riversedge]

10. Horowitz "will NOT whether anyone should have faced charges" As I understand this -this

means that Horowitz will not be questioning Comey's decision not to press charges against Hillary for the private server issue.





https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/01/12/justice-department-inspector-general-to-investigate-pre-election-actions-by-department-and-fbi/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_inspectorgeneral-2pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.65a14cd66e0b




The Justice Department inspector general will review broad allegations of misconduct involving the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email practices and the bureau’s controversial decision shortly before the election to announce the probe had resumed, the inspector general announced Thursday.

The probe will be wide ranging — encompassing the FBI’s various public statements on the matter, whether its deputy director should have been recused and whether FBI or other Justice Department employees leaked nonpublic information, according to a news release from Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz.

[The attorney general could have ordered the FBI not to send his bombshell letter on Clinton emails. Here’s why she didn’t.]

Lawmakers and others had called previously for the inspector general to probe the FBI’s pre-election actions when it came to the Clinton probe, alleging that FBI Director James B. Comey bucked long-standing policies with his communications about the case and that information seemed to have leaked inappropriately — perhaps to former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Horowitz said in a news release that he will explore those topics and more, though he will not re-litigate whether anyone should have faced charges.

“The review will not substitute the OIG’s judgment for the judgments made by the FBI or the Department regarding the substantive merits of investigative or prosecutive decisions,” the news release said, using an acronym for the Office of the Inspector General.

[crosinski]

12. Oh Comey, you little scamp!

This is sooooo interesting:

'whether its deputy director should have been recused'

How was he involved in such a way that he should have been recused?

[Gothmog]

11. Comey is pond scum and lacks any professional or other ethics

[Stellar]

13. Comey needs to be under the jail!

[Erasto]

14. About Time

There are too many coincidences for this not to be a planned assault against Hillary's candidacy.

[TeamPooka]

15. Trump and Sessions will kill this next week. 100%. nt

[videohead5]

17. They Can't

The IG is independent from the DOJ.he was appointed by president Obama and that appointment last 10 years which is up in 2022.

[Gothmog]

18. Trump will not be able to stop this investigation

I saw this on the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/01/12/there-will-be-an-investigation-of-james-comeys-conduct-we-might-get-some-accountability-after-all/?utm_term=.25630ca46fd1

UPDATE: Amy Jeffress, a former senior Justice Department official and currently an attorney at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, emails more detail on whether this probe could be closed down under Trump:

The Inspector General Act authorizes the Attorney General to interfere with an IG investigation under certain exceptional circumstances, one of which relates to intelligence matters, which arguably could apply here. But the Attorney General would have to find that action is “necessary to prevent the significant impairment to the national interests of the United States” (and there are congressional notification requirements as well). I can’t think of any precedent for taking this step, and politically it would be hugely controversial, and therefore unlikely.

It may be harder that we think for Trump to block this investigation

BTW Comey is pond scum

[Stonepounder]

16. Maybe not.

The Inspector General of the DOJ is independent and does not answer to the AG.

[riversedge]

19. REC

[johnnylol]

21. inspector general...

the other day i think i saw jeffrey toobin answer this question.. while the inspector general is appointed for a 10 year term is is not a law..it's just courtesy.. the president can fire him or her...and if the president does not choose to do that.. the attorney general can stop a investigation dead in it's tracks...

[orleans]

22. better make this investigation snappy or it's gonna come to a screeching halt. they've got a week nt