High-level FBI officials who violated procedures in the investigations of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump will not escape accountability, a former supervisor at the agency said Thursday.
Ron Hosko, who served as assistant director of the FBI and now is president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that the Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general, Michael Horowitz, will shoot straight in scrutinizing the conduct of the FBI and the DOJ.
Horowitz’s charge, Hosko said, covers everything from then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s infamous airport tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton while his wife was under investigation — to then-FBI Director James Comey’s decision to usurp the responsibility of the Justice Department in deciding whether Hillary Clinton should be charged in connection with her use of a private server to store emails with classified information while she was secretary of state.
Hosko said Horowitz also would review text messages exchanged between FBI supervisor Peter Strzok and agency lawyer Lisa Page revealing deep-seated bias against Trump. Strzok served on the team investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian agents during the 2016 campaign. But special counsel Robert Mueller removed him after learning of his bias.
[lz_third_party align=center includes=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi8zWTnnfZA]
“He is looking to see, were decisions as that investigation was brought to a conclusion … did anybody violate procedures, DOJ procedures?” Hosko told guest host Paul Viollis. “And he will be unsparing in his criticism.”
Americans should be reassured that Horowitz has the freedom to operate independently, Hosko said.
“I have far greater confidence in this inspector general, because I know his job is not to be friendly with the FBI,” he said. “There will be differences in opinion about language used, and maybe there will be changes in the tone of something — maybe not. But I have far greater confidence in the inspector general, frankly, than I do in these warring parties on the House intelligence committee or any place on Capitol Hill.”
Related: CNN Anchor Fails to Challenge Incorrect Dossier Assertion
Hosko drew on his own experience with the FBI’s senior executive service, where he conducted multiple investigations of fatal shootings involving the FBI. He said the inspector general’s office had an employee embedded in the FBI’s inspection division.
That gave the inspector general access to all of the information he needed to make a thorough review, Hosko said.
“They got to see everything,” he said. “They got to see every allegation, and in a sense, they cherry-picked. The would take those allegations regarding senior executives, and in this case, that’s what’s happened.”
PoliZette senior writer Brendan Kirby can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.