Taking questions from members of the Senate Homeland security and Governmental Affairs committee taking questions from members of the Senate Homeland security and Governmental Affairs committee. [inaudible conversations] the hearing will come to order. Thank you to the inspector and his team to be here i know you had to raise your hand to identify yourself all those who did this excellent work. Thank you for all your hard work and efforts as the main subject of our hearing today the what you have received for your efforts is already deserved and to share those sentiments this is an important step to provide the answers to many questions that have festered for far too long. That the scope is narrow and most non more important questions remain unanswered. Much attention has been paid to the inclusion the hurricane investigation did have adequate predicate yesterdays order by the presiding judge is a dramatic rebuke how serious those are. And then to ask more fundamental questions at what point should that investigation collusion between russia and some campaign has been shut down . And then when officials of the first six weeks now a result in inclusion of any inculpatory information rather than shut it down or the least intrusive mesh in one methods the pfizer taps the fbi officials argued with the cia with the salacious into the body of the Intelligence Community assessment and finally the fbi investigation blooming on ballooning into special counsel investigation as a result the administration was tormented over two years after the aggressive investigation based on a false narrative and the country is more divided for anyone willing to take the time to read the report, it is a devastating account of prosecutorial negligence and misconduct and abuse of the fisa Court Process by the fbi and department of justice officials the most disturbing revelations are doctoring and using an email to mislead the fisa Court Ignoring the fact exculpatory evidence was obtained during recordings of investigation targets not to provide defensive briefings to the Trip Campaign investigator in the intelligence briefing had tromped under false pretenses had credibility problem problems related to the steel dossier with these abuses in mind in light of what became known as early in the investigation it should have been shut down within the first few months of 2017. Had the public known what the fbi had known at the time its hard to imagine public support to continue the investigation much less than a special counsel for ms. Later investigations into russian hacking Paul Manafort should continue using normal fbi procedures we would be sufficiently informed the fbi and department of justice to rigorously follow their own procedures in this nightmare couldve been avoided which raises the question why wasnt the public properly informed some are now obvious summer speculative but what is obvious Certain Department of justice officials were not truthful for or scrupulously accurate also as the report leaks the present dented number of leaks 125 in the first 126 days of the administration help view the false narrative the media was duped or complicit in using those leaks to perpetuate the false narrative. The role of other Obama Administration officials and members of the Intelligence Committee is murky and unknown but legitimate questions remain that must be answered. For example initiated the contact stefan helper when George Papadopoulos january 6 intelligence briefing given to john james comey and clapper orchestrated to have a justification of the steel dossier . The fact the involvement of others outside the Justice Department is murky after an 18 month long Inspector General investigation is not criticism of his work but speaks to the statutory limitation of inspectors general that should be evaluated and assessed for reform another question to be asked who will be held accountable . During his investigation of the handling of the clinton email scandal Inspector General had a treasure trove of unvarnished evidence of bias between peter strock and lisa page and others if not for the discovery of those text would we even be here today reviewing the ig investigation of these abuses of prosecutorial power . I have my doubts officials involved had plenty of time to rehearse their answers to the question or excuse for example on significant issues Andrew Mccabe told investigators 26 times he did not recall some of those involved claim vindication as a result of the report i appreciate ms. Horowitz testimony last week reporting it doesnt then dictated anybody at the fbi that touch this including the leadership are finally i would argue the process for investigating and adjudicating alleged crime is completely backward. The oversight of Public Awareness is the last step of the process instead of the first. Those investigations are the primary excuse for documents of oversight and Public Disclosure with the improper investigation of those scandals congress should increase the stance and early in the process. This would result in more timely transparency while having this adversarial process with balance and fairness they can be referred to for further investigation to prevent the fair adjudication by the Justice Department to be appointed only as a last resort, not a first im sure we will spend crossfire hurricane investigation and inspector journal generals report i hope we can discuss the other issues i just raised regardless the oversight on the events surrounding the fbi exam and crossfire hurricane investigations continue until i am satisfied all important and relative questions are being answered. Senator peters and i thank you for being here today and your testimony playing a vital role with those independent assessments and Inspector Generals office and more than 1 million pages and unequivocally into coordination to have a proper legal factual basis and that was affected by political bias those are a betrayal of the bedrock principles and didnt even tolerate in this case and rooted in identifying as the rest of National Security that politics played no role to open this investigation. And to obtain pfizer warrants and i applied the Inspector General to shine light on the fbi as well as the adjusted want us Justice Department shortcomings. Fbi director ray has received this report and the conclusion that political bias plays no role to open the investigation director ray and accepted the findings the pfizer process more than 40 corrective actions to reform this process i hope that todays hearing provides the committee with the hearing to examine the reports recommendations to determine if there are areas we can strengthen as well however the most important fact we should take away from this report and hearing is that russia a foreign adversary engaged in a sweeping and systematic effort to interfere in the 2016 president ial election and they were right to investigate those involved it was an attack on our democracy and National Security and its happening again the russian government is intent on sowing distrust and spreading misinformation and undermining democracy and they will pursue these efforts at all cost members of both parties must come together to pass legislation related to Elections Security so no foreign adversary can metal in elections again i have the opportunity to work with chairman johnson and senator lankford on Bipartisan Legislation to strengthen those Security Standards and i hope we can continue and independence and integrity and your hard work and i look forward to your testimony. Please stand and raise your right hand. Do you swear to give the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . As the Inspector General since 2012 he also chairs the council of Inspector General of inspectors general on integrity and efficiency. Working in private practice before working in department of justice. Members of the committee thank you for inviting me to testify today. The report my Office Released was a comprehensive review over 1 million documents and 170 interviews more than 100 witnesses all of which is documented in the 117 page report. And with that executive summary and i encourage people to read the 19 page executive summary. And working rigorously through long hours to complete this review and the subject of our report was july 2016 days after the fbi said that in may 2016 the trunk Campaign Foreign policy advisor suggested the campaign would be damaging to clinton and then obama. And with crossfire hurricane with a Counter Intelligence division director. After multiple days of discussion and to review the policies exercise of discretion and that was in compliance and we also reviewed his email and text and other documents with deck it documentary or testimonial evidence of improper motivation. All the information in possession at the time was limited of the low threshold established we found it was for an authorized purpose and with the fbi policy and there was no Requirement Department officials were notified prior to the fbi making that decision. And with the National Security and days after it was initiated. As we detail in our report it was required in other circumstances investigative activity to impact certain Civil Liberties allowing officials with the implications in advance of these activities we concluded advance notice should be required in circumstances such as those present here. Shortly after the fbi opened the crossfire hurricane investigation to record several conversations between fbi confidential resources and those affiliated with the trunk Campaign Including a high Level Campaign official that is not subject to the investigation. We found chs operations had necessary approvals that the assistant director approved of each operation given circumstances where they could have approved it and the operations were permitted under policy because the use was not for the sole purpose to monitor activities protected by the First Amendment or the lawful exercise of other rights of the United States. We did not find documentary evidence political thought bias or motivation influence the decision and we found no evidence it took place within the trunk campaign or on the trunk campaign to become fbi chs but we are concerned under applicable policy would be sufficient for a firstline supervisor to authorize the sensitive operations under crossfire hurricane and that there is no policy requiring the fbi to notify Department Officials of a decision to task chs to record conversations with members of the president ial campaign. We concluded the policies are not sufficient to ensure appropriate oversight and accountability of such operations. One investigative tool that expressly requires advanced approval by a Department Official is seeking court order under fisa. When the Crossfire Hurricane Team first targeted carter page the fbi attorneys that a pfizer order was not ordered at that time but in september 2016 immediately after the Crossfire Hurricane Team received from Christopher Steele containing allegations to move forward with a request to have the pfizer authority. We concluded it was a central role in the pfizer order t10 order to protect the fisa process from irregularity and abuse the requirements that every application have a full and accurate presentation of the facts and all factual statements are scrupulously checked. We found investigators failed with the pfizer applications we have significant accuracies seven and the next teeten and a total of 17 as a result of these applications it was appeared as though the evidence supporting probable cause was stronger than it actually was. We found basic fundamental and serious errors on the factual accuracy reviews which are designed to ensure the teeten applications have a full and accurate presentation of the facts. Department lawyers should have been given complete and Accurate Information so they could have meaningfully evaluated probable cause before with us person associate with the president ial campaign so the result continues and then with the adjustment of probable cause was accurate. We concluded as the investigation progressed and more information was gathered to undermine the assertions of the teeten applications they did not reassess those applications of although we did not find documentary misconduct we also did not receive satisfactory explanations and the failures that occurred we are deeply concerned so many basic and fundamental errors with the handpicked investigative teams one of the most sensitive investigations after the matter raised to the highest levels within the fbi even though the information sought to the teeten authority was so closely to a president ial campaign that the actions were likely to be subject and ultimately by the managers and supervisors of the crossfire hurricane chain of command including fbi officials briefed as it progressed. And with those interviews and fbi managers and supervisors and senior officials to review the performance of and hold accountable all individuals senior officials who have responsibility for the preparation of approval of the teeten applications and procedures. Additionally in light of those identified the oig initiated an audit last week to further review and examine the fbi compliance with its procedures and the teeten application to target us persons and Counter Intelligence and counterterrorism investigations and then to appropriately use is highly Intrusive Surveillance Authority and also have a safeguard of liberty for us persons. We will continue as independent oversight as this moves forward in the months and years ahead this concludes my prepared remarks. These names are hard you made the same mistake i did George Stephanopoulos but papadopoulos. Mine as well. Left left but this is quickly not only with the ig report that the midyear exam similar statement i will quote we did not find documentary or testimonial evidence political bias or improper motivation to influence the decision and then used a number of cases. And to be sure there is no political bias. We did not find evidence we know who made the decision we can focus specifically on him. With both of these you found political bias. Through the Text Messages evidence. Also motivation talking about and Christopher Steele is desperate of course that was a very important to say he understood the motivations to have the november statement that he was desperate. But talk about medical motivation. But then youre not saying that tobias did not to have no evidence that it did. Is that an accurate statement . We have no evidence that it did. We laid out here what we did to find bias or evidence of bias. We put the report out here so the public can read it. Look at the facts themselves but to have documentary or testimony evidence. But you are saying that it did not you found evidence that it did but you are not saying this bias did not influence you are not making that declarative conclusion, correct . I want to carve out the opening because that decision was isolate made by one person we know who made that decision understanding there were questions raised above and below him as to the other decisions and the errors with that motivation conclusion because of those concerns we have on that. Its important for readers to read the report themselves before the hearing our job as inspectors general and to get the facts out there. Year leading on leaving it up to the American Public for that bias you have uncovered to what extent that influences the decision throughout the process. The only conclusion we felt comfortable drawing and the public can read and inform the public. One final followup what type of evidence was required . And oral confession or i hate this guy i will choose this path versus the other . It was hard to look at this evidence and get into peoples minds and what was the motivation for the decisions to be made. What we looked at was who touched the decision, did we find evidence through Text Messages or emails or witness interviews but sometimes we do get whistleblowers or others to say i think so and so made an improper purpose and we were looking for that kind of evidence we had concerns about that. And then others so what was the evidence who was involved in the decisions and that other evidence. Could we bring this together and not only to have a state of mind even more seriously implied to take action through the process. Will you yield for just a moment . Of those were pro trumper anti trump. And just with those political views disassociated from action and last year as well as last w