CHAIRMAN
GOWDY STATEMENT ON INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT
Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
FULL HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND
GOVERNMENT REFORM
PUBLISHED: JUN
14, 2018
WASHINGTON,
DC – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey
Gowdy released the following statement after the Department of Justice’s (DOJ)
Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on FBI and DOJ actions in
advance of the 2016 election.
“I am alarmed, angered, and deeply disappointed by the Inspector
General’s finding of numerous failures by DOJ and FBI in investigating
potential Espionage Act violations by former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.
This report
confirms investigative decisions made by the FBI during the pendency of this
investigation were unprecedented and deviated from traditional investigative
procedures in favor of a much more permissive and voluntary approach. This is
not the way normal investigations are run.
The investigation was mishandled. The investigatory conclusions
were reached before the end of the witness interviews. The July 5th press
conference marked a serious violation of policy and process. And the letters to
Congress in the fall of 2016 were both delayed in substance and unnecessary in
form.
Moreover, the treatment afforded to former Secretary Clinton and
other potential subjects and targets was starkly different from the FBI’s
investigation into Trump campaign officials. Voluntariness and consent in the
former were replaced with search warrants, subpoenas, and other compulsory
processes in the latter. Many of the investigators and supervisors were the
same in both investigations but the investigatory tactics were not.
Former Director Comey violated Department policy in several
significant ways. The FBI’s actions and those of former Director Comey severely
damaged the credibility of the investigation, the public’s ability to rely on
the results of the investigation, and the very institutions he claims to
revere.
The report also conclusively shows an alarming and destructive
level of animus displayed by top officials at the FBI. Peter Strzok’s manifest
bias trending toward animus casts a pall on this investigation. Bias is so
pernicious and malignant as to both taint the process, the result, and the
ability to have confidence in either.
The law enforcement
community has no greater ally in Congress than me. But continued revelations of
questionable decision making by FBI and DOJ leadership destroys confidence in
the impartiality of the institutions I have long served, respected, and
believed in.
This is not the FBI I know. This is not the FBI our country
needs. This is not the FBI citizens and suspects alike deserve.
It is now urgently incumbent on Attorney General Sessions and
Director Wray to take decisive action to restore Americans’ confidence in our
justice system.”
Background
- In
October 2017, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the
House Judiciary Committee announced a joint
investigation into decisions made by the Department of
Justice in 2016 and 2017. To date, the Committees have interviewed several
key witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of documents.
- On
Tuesday, the Committees will hold a joint
hearing with Inspector General Michael Horowitz to examine
the report’s findings.
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