“The Justice Department inspector general on Thursday castigated former FBI Director James B. Comey for his actions during the Hillary Clinton email investigation and found that other senior bureau officials showed a ‘willingness to take official action’ to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president,” per the Washington Post.
“The 500-page report, documenting major missteps in one of the most politically charged cases in the FBI’s history, provides the most exhaustive account to date of bureau and Justice Department decision-making throughout the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server, particularly in the months just before she would lose the presidency to Trump.”
The entire DOJ report can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/file/1071991/
The report refers to Comey’s actions as “extraordinary and insubordinate,” particularly his July 5, 2016 press conference wherein he publicly recommended no charges for Secretary Clinton for her use of a private email server.
Also highlighted in the report are new and damning text messages from the FBI’s Peter Strzok and Lisa Page:
“Perhaps the most damaging new revelation in the report is a previously-unreported text message in which Peter Strzok, a key investigator on both the Clinton email case and the investigation of Russia and the Trump campaign, assured an FBI lawyer in August 2016 that “we’ll stop” Trump from making it to the White House.
“‘[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!’ the lawyer, Lisa Page, wrote to Strzok.
“‘No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it,’ Strzok responded.”
Further pictures of an FBI in shambles emerge when the report discusses some FBI agents’ relationships with members of the media—”improperly receiving benefits from reporters, including tickets to sporting events, golfing outings, drinks and meals, and admittance to nonpublic social events.” The report expressed concerns about the possibility of inappropriate leaks from the FBI to the media in such cases.
