The FBI had a legitimate motive to investigate whether then-presidential candidate Donald Trump or his associates have conspired with Russia.
That is the assumption of the independent Inspector General of the Ministry of Justice, who also reports errors during the investigation.
The FBI investigated possible contacts between the Trump campaign team and the Russians. President Trump has always said that there has never been a conspiracy with Moscow to influence the elections. He entitlements to be the victim of a “witch hunt” that is intended to damage him politically.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz concludes in his 434-page report that no evidence of such political bias has been found with the FBI. He says, among other things, that the national police department had reason to ask the court for permission to monitor Carter Page, a campaign advisor to Trump.
Horowitz does mention seventeen serious “inaccuracies and omissions” when submitting requests for surveillance. Because of those mistakes, the case seemed stronger than it was. The report thereby gives political ammunition to both supporters and opponents of Trump.
Justice William Barr, after publishing the report, criticized the FBI. “The Inspector General’s report shows that a far-reaching investigation into a presidential campaign has started on the basis of paper-thin suspicions that I believe are insufficient to justify the steps taken.”
