FBI official under investigation for allegedly altering document in Russia probe

[ziggy]

[Stretch]

Now we're hearing the alterations are "significant".

[Stretch]

IG found that the FBI employee lied about evidence that he had; then created a postdated email to make it look valid.

[archives]

Color me SHOCKED! CNN is actually reporting this!

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Exclusive: Former FBI lawyer under investigation after allegedly altering document in 2016 Russia probe
CNN Digital Expansion 2018 Katelyn Polantz
Evan Perez byline

By Katelyn Polantz and Evan Perez, CNN

Updated 8:57 PM ET, Thu November 21, 2019

Washington (CNN)A former FBI lawyer is under criminal investigation after allegedly altering a document related to 2016 surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, several people briefed on the matter told CNN.
The possibility of a substantive change to an investigative document is likely to fuel accusations from President Donald Trump and his allies that the FBI committed wrongdoing in its investigation of connections between Russian election meddling and the Trump campaign.
The finding is expected to be part of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's review of the FBI's effort to obtain warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide. Horowitz will release the report next month.
Horowitz turned over evidence on the allegedly altered document to John Durham, the federal prosecutor appointed early this year by Attorney General William Barr to conduct a broad investigation of intelligence gathered for the Russia probe by the CIA and other agencies, including the FBI. The altered document is also at least one focus of Durham's criminal probe.

It's unknown how significant a role the altered document played in the FBI's investigation of Page and whether the FISA warrant would have been approved without the document. The alterations were significant enough to have shifted the document's meaning and came up during a part of Horowitz's FISA review where details were classified, according to the sources.

Some witnesses who have been interviewed in Horowitz's investigation have said they expect the inspector general to find mistakes in the FBI's handling of the FISA process, but that those mistakes do not undermine the premise for the FBI's investigation.
American intelligence agencies and the Justice Department have not swayed from their finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election by hacking the Democrats and spreading pro-Trump propaganda online. And even former top Trump campaign officials have corroborated special counsel Robert Mueller's finding that the Trump campaign planned some of its strategy around the Russian hacks, and had multiple contacts with Kremlin-linked individuals in 2016.
Horowitz's investigators conducted more than 100 witness interviews in their review. During one of interviews this year, they confronted the witness about the document. The witness admitted to the change, the sources said.
The lawyer, who was a line attorney, is no longer working at the bureau, said a person familiar with the matter. A line attorney is a lower level lawyer within the FBI.
No charges that could reflect the situation have been filed publicly in court.
The Justice Department and inspector general's office declined to comment.

Horowitz report
Horowitz is expected to release his report on December 9 and testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee two days later.
The internal, independent investigator so far, over several reports, has criticized top members of the FBI for their actions leading up to and during the Russia investigation. Those IG reports have looked at situations including former FBI Director James Comey's handling of his personal memos about meetings with the President and former official Peter Strzok's anti-Trump text messages.
A finding of alleged wrongdoing from Horowitz could further fuel Republican criticism and conspiracies about previous investigators' targeting of Trump associates. It could also provide them a political boost at a moment where Democrats' impeachment investigation into Trump's political quid pro quo with Ukraine has battered the President.
The report is said to cover the FBI's approach to foreign surveillance during the Russia investigation, including of warrants used to wiretap Page, who had advised the Trump campaign in 2016. Witnesses are currently reviewing Horowitz's findings.
Horowitz has shared information from his review with Durham, CNN previously reported.

(Graham: Report on FBI's handling of Russia probe will be released December 9)

The Justice Department has been tight-lipped on outlining exactly what Durham has been looking at. But the attorney general himself said soon after appointing him that he was concerned officials acted inappropriately as they oversaw the counterintelligence probe of the 2016 Trump campaign.
Barr's embrace of these theories aligns with Trump's chief grievance that he was the victim of a "deep state" spy operation that has clouded his presidency.

The New York Times, CNN and other outlets have reported that Durham's investigation had become a criminal investigation.
Update: This story has been updated to reflect the official is a lawyer who is no longer with the FBI.

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz contributed to this report.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/21/polit...ion/index.html

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RELATED.............

Graham: Report on FBI's handling of Russia probe will be released December 9
CNN Digital Rebranding 2015 David Shortell Photo: Jeremy Freeman
Anchor Muted Background

By David Shortell and Paul LeBlanc, CNN

Updated 11:39 PM ET, Wed November 20, 2019

Washington (CNN)Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report into the FBI's handling of the Russia investigation will be released December 9, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said Wednesday night.
"It will be December 9th, you'll get the report," the South Carolina Republican told Fox News. "That's locked."
What the report says is unknown. But some witnesses who have been interviewed by the inspector general say they expect that it will likely reveal some missteps, though none that should be interpreted as undermining a legitimate investigation.
The timing of the release, pronounced imminent for months, could be a boon for Republicans amid the unfolding impeachment proceedings.

Launched in early 2018, the inspector general investigation centered on a series of warrants the FBI filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as it sought to investigate Carter Page, a onetime foreign policy adviser to the 2016 Trump campaign.
The warrants -- signed by top Justice Department officials, including former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein -- stated that the FBI believed Page "has been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government," according to redacted copies the bureau released last year.
To bolster their request to the surveillance court, the FBI relied at times on claims about the 2016 Trump campaign collected in a dossier of unverified intelligence reports by former British spy Christopher Steele.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump and his supporters have led a steady drumbeat of anticipation over the report, suggesting it will provide evidence of improper conduct by the FBI that undermines the credibility of the Russia investigation.

Investigators from the watchdog office reviewed more than 1 million records and conducted more than 100 interviews as part of the probe, and in recent weeks the Justice Department and FBI have pored over a draft of the report to determine the classification levels of the material, Horowitz has told lawmakers.
Horowitz will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 11 to discuss the findings of his report.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz and Evan Perez contributed to this report.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/polit...r-9/index.html

"they expect the inspector general to find mistakes in the FBI's handling of the FISA process, but that those mistakes do not undermine the premise for the FBI's investigation"

In other words, they found one fired FBI lawyer who altered some information somewhere, but in general, just like the IG report on Hillary's Emails, everything was handled properly, according to policy, above board and legitimate
https://apnews.com/5378465b54754da0ab1183bbd8953634

There was a reason billy barr felt he needed a second redundant investigation inorder to cover Trump's ass, he knew what this IG report was going to conclude

[Stretch]

IG found that the FBI employee lied about evidence that he had; then created a postdated email to make it look valid.

[archives]

IG found that the FBI employee lied about evidence that he had; then created a postdated email to make it look valid.

As I said, they found one FBI lawyer, who was fired, doing something wrong, but concluded overall everything was copacetic, ain't quite the bust you guys have been telling us for months now was going to send Obama and the entire intelligence agencies to jail

Don't get too giddy over this one, the next report, billy barr's special investigation will have more in it he, Trump, and Fox can frame as a big deal

[Getin the ring]

As I said, they found one FBI lawyer, who was fired, doing something wrong, but concluded overall everything was copacetic, ain't quite the bust you guys have been telling us for months now was going to send Obama and the entire intelligence agencies to jail

Don't get too giddy over this one, the next report, billy barr's special investigation will have more in it he, Trump, and Fox can frame as a big deal

how the fu@k do you know what's in the report, don't tell us you have "inside sources" right? mini me.jpg
sorry to see you're so nervous about it, I really am

look the liberal side had this coming, you can only get away with corruption for so long. Trump is the boss now, his justice department, his attorney general.
With all of the resources at HIS disposal. believe it, they took their time with this one. It's going to bring rain

So you can get all whiny about it if you'd like, fact it would be better if you did

[Stretch]

All they needed was a warrant on a small fish like Page and they could then spy on anybody. Page was their way inside.

[Truth Detector]

An FBI official is being investigated after allegedly altering a document connected to surveillance of a 2016 Trump campaign aide, CNN reported Thursday, citing people briefed on the matter.

The alleged altering was reportedly discovered as part of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's probe into whether the FBI followed the law and its own policies while applying for a warrant to surveil a former Trump campaign official Carter Page during the 2016 election.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said this week that a report of Horowitz's findings was expected to be released Dec. 9.

CNN reported that Horowitz gave the allegedly changed document to John Durham, who is leading an investigation into the origins of the government's Russia probe. The document is one focus of Durham's criminal investigation, according to the news network.

Sources told CNN that a witness admitted to the change after being confronted by Horowitz's team about the document. Whether the FBI employee still works for the bureau and their rank and identity are reportedly unknown.

It is also reportedly unknown whether the document in question played a significant role in the investigation of Page.

The inspector general's office in March 2018 announced that it would review the FBI's compliance with surveillance requirements amid Republican claims that there was an abuse of power relating to the monitoring of President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department and FBI for comment.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-...ng-document-in

I wish they had not announced it. It may have LEAKED out.

[Truth Detector]

Is this IT?

[Truth Detector]

"they expect the inspector general to find mistakes in the FBI's handling of the FISA process, but that those mistakes do not undermine the premise for the FBI's investigation"

In other words, they found one fired FBI lawyer who altered some information somewhere, but in general, just like the IG report on Hillary's Emails, everything was handled properly, according to policy, above board and legitimate
https://apnews.com/5378465b54754da0ab1183bbd8953634

There was a reason billy barr felt he needed a second redundant investigation inorder to cover Trump's ass, he knew what this IG report was going to conclude

[Truth Detector]

As I said, they found one FBI lawyer, who was fired, doing something wrong, but concluded overall everything was copacetic, ain't quite the bust you guys have been telling us for months now was going to send Obama and the entire intelligence agencies to jail

Don't get too giddy over this one, the next report, billy barr's special investigation will have more in it he, Trump, and Fox can frame as a big deal

[Darth Omar]

how the fu@k do you know what's in the report, don't tell us you have "inside sources" right? mini me.jpg
sorry to see you're so nervous about it, I really am

look the liberal side had this coming, you can only get away with corruption for so long. Trump is the boss now, his justice department, his attorney general.
With all of the resources at HIS disposal. believe it, they took their time with this one. It's going to bring rain

So you can get all whiny about it if you'd like, fact it would be better if you did

If I understand it right, subjects in an IG report are alerted before its release. And of course since the leak is coming through the Democrats media that tells us something lol.

Also, there may be things not leaked [that can’t be spun] so there’s that, too.

[ziggy]

FBI Lawyer Who Sent Anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ Text Message Also Altered Russia Probe Documents: Report

The former FBI lawyer who is reportedly under investigation for altering documents in the Russia probe took part in a 2017 interview with Trump adviser George Papadopoulos, and also wrote anti-Trump text messages that were revealed in a Justice Department report released last year.

Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith altered an email that was included in an FBI application to renew a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Carter Page, according to The New York Times.

Investigators working in the Justice Department’s office of the inspector general (OIG) discovered the email as part of an investigation into whether the FBI abused the FISA process.

A report of the investigation is set to be released Dec. 9.

People briefed on the report said it will fault the FBI for carelessness and unprofessionalism in how investigators conducted the investigation, according to The NYT. But it will stop short of accusing FBI leaders of acting out of anti-Trump bias. The report will also say that the FBI met the low legal threshold to obtain FISA warrants against Page. (RELATED: Anti-Trump FBI Lawyer Who Sent ‘Resistance’ Text Message Interviewed George Papadopoulos)

But the allegations against Clinesmith are unlikely to alleviate Republican concerns of anti-Trump bias during the investigation.

“I am so stressed about what I could have done differently,” Clinesmith wrote in the text.

Clinesmith also expressed concerns about Trump’s election win because of the lawyer’s role investigating the campaign.

“Plus, my god damned name is all over the legal documents investigating his staff,” wrote Clinesmith, who is referred to as “FBI Attorney 2” in the June 2018 report.

In a Nov. 22, 2016 text message discussion about Trump, Clinesmith wrote: “Viva le Resistance!”

A spokesman for the special counsel’s team downplayed Clinesmith’s role on the investigation when contacted last year by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The spokesman described Clinessmith as having an administrative role.

But the OIG report released last year described Clinesmith as the “primary FBI attorney” on the Trump-Russia investigation in early 2017.

George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aide, told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Clinesmith was part of the FBI team that interviewed him on Feb. 16, 2017.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/11/22/f...esmith-russia/

[PostmodernProphet]

As I said, they found one FBI lawyer, who was fired, doing something wrong, but concluded overall everything was copacetic

actually, if you read the OP more carefully, it was the witnesses who did something wrong that told the press everything was copacetic.......it remains to be seen if the prosecutor agrees....