- The Washington Times - Tuesday, December 10, 2019

President Trump delivered a shot across the bow of FBI Director Christopher Wray Tuesday, criticizing his takeaway from a blockbuster inspector general’s report that the FBI was justified in starting an investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016.

“I don’t know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn’t the one given to me,” the president tweeted. “With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken despite having some of the greatest men & women working there!”

The FBI declined to comment Tuesday on the president’s tweets.

Mr. Wray told ABC News on Monday that it was “important” that Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz found the investigation was opened “with appropriate predication and authorization.”

Mr. Horowitz found that FBI officials misled a secret court about the reliability of a key source of information, former British spy Christopher Steele, in obtaining surveillance warrants for four Trump campaign officials. The report also found that the FBI committed multiple errors in its applications for surveillance, but Mr. Horowitz said there was no evidence of political bias against Mr. Trump.

The president and his allies reject the conclusion that there was no partisan motivation among top FBI officials in the Obama administration, which was backing Democrat Hillary Clinton for president.

Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Wray for the top FBI post after firing James B. Comey in May 2017.

Mr. Wray said Monday that the FBI accepts the inspector general’s findings “and embraces the need for thoughtful, meaningful remedial action.”

Jeff Mordock contributed to this story.

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.

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