The House Judiciary Committee’s top Republican on Friday demanded hearings on a now-completed investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general concerning alleged surveillance abuses by the department and the FBI.
Rep. Doug Collins said the inspector general, Michael Horowitz, notified Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday that his report is complete. Mr. Collins’ comments came in a letter to committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, calling for hearings on Mr. Horowitz’s findings.
Now that Mr. Barr has a copy of the report, the department will review and comment on it, Mr. Collins said. Then the report heads to the Judiciary Committee and will be made public.
Mr. Collins said it is imperative that the Judiciary Committee calls Mr. Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify.
“It is critical that the Judiciary Committee be the first House committee to query the Inspector General about his findings and Director Wray about steps he is taking to ensure any abuses do not reoccur,” he wrote.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The inspector general team examined the October 2016 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) application and renewals authorizing the surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
The applications relied heavily on an unverified, anti-Trump dossier compiled by former ex-British spy Christopher Steele.
Republicans have alleged the dossier, which was paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, intentionally left out Mr. Steele’s anti-Trump bias.
Democrats and the FBI have countered that they acted appropriately and disclosed their concerns about Mr. Steele.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, has already pledged to hold hearings on the FISA warrants once Mr. Horowitz’s report is publicly available.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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